NEW PRODUCT
REPORTS
SHOT DAILY hits the floor to find
out what’s new in the world of
airguns P. 16 and airsoft P. 22

NEWS
*CONSERVATIONISTS

UNITED IN THEIR CAUSE
Field & Stream’s Heroes of
Conservation luncheon sheds light
on the federal fight that lies
ahead. SEE PAGE 4

*CLASSIC BOOT GIVEN
A MODERN TWIST

The iconic Xtratuf rubber boots
from Alaska are being updated
with a new version. SEE PAGE 6

*PROIS AWARDS

Gear company honors women who
set the bar higher. SEE PAGE 8

*THE FORGOTTEN
16-GAUGE

Is one of the best upland game
loads primed for a comeback?
SEE PAGE 12

DAY 4, JANUARY 2 0, 2 012

The Daily News of the 2012 Las Vegas SHOT Show Brought to You by the Bonnier Corporation and the NSSF

Answering the Call
S
eventy-five years ago this
month, Ducks Unlimited was
founded by four sportsmen on
a mission to save North America’s
waterfowl populations. The year was
1937, and the odds were against them.
Their plan: restore waterfowl by
restoring water to prairie wetlands
(despite one of the worst droughts in
history), and pay for it with donated
dollars (during the Great Depression).
It worked. Today, Ducks Unlimited
is the largest, most effective wetlands
and waterfowl conservation group in
the world. To honor DU’s 75th anniversary, Winchester Ammunition
presented DU with its Partners in
Conservation Award at Winchester’s
SHOT Show booth earlier this week.
In addition, today will be Ducks
Unlimited Day at the Winchester
Ammunition booth. Attendees are
encouraged to drop by and enter to
win five cases of Winchester Blind

To help celebrate the
founding of Ducks
Unlimited 75 years ago,
Winchester Ammo will
conduct a raffle of
Blind Side ammo.

Side shotshells and a limited-edition
Ducks Unlimited 75th anniversary
art print. The prize drawing will be
held at 5 p.m.
“I can’t think of a better way to
mark this milestone than with the

people and partners who made it
possible,” says Dale Hall, CEO of
Ducks Unlimited. “America’s sportsmen and the industries they support
have always been conservation leaders.” Booth #13329.

New Look Duty Belt YSSA Receives

FEATURES
*KIMBER DONATES
$1 MILLION TO USA
SHOOTING TEAM

The company celebrates the milestone by presenting a new, unique
.45 to the team. SEE PAGE 54

*CROSMAN STAYS IN
THE USA

The airgun maker keeps production in its New York facility to
honor its American workforce and
customer base. SEE PAGE 56

*SHOW SCENES

SHOT DAILY concludes this year’s
successful SHOT Show with an
assortment of celebrity and gear
snapshots taken over the course
of the show. SEE PAGE 62

Concealed-carry accessories are hot items these
days, so much so that some manufacturers have
recognized that the look can give away a little too
much information. As Bart Looper, who designs
concealed-carry gear for Blade Tech Tactical
Industries says, “If someone can spot concealedcarry, then it isn’t really concealed-carry, is it?”
Good point. But he has one answer—Blade
Tech’s polymer reinforced gun belt line.
“We use a rigid plastic insert sandwiched in
between two thinner pieces of leather. It has
plenty of support for a holster, but bends more
easily around your
waist. The result is
a better, less expensive belt—one that
doesn’t advertise
that you’re carrying.” SRP: $59.
Booth #1625. (877331-5793; blade-tech.
com)

he Youth Shooting Sports Alliance (YSSA) received
a significant donation of firearms from Midway
USA to raise funds for a new endowment that will
provide loaner equipment for youth shooting programs.
The donation totaled nearly 600 firearms from manufacturers like L. C. Smith, Parker, A.H. Fox, and Lefever, says
YSSA executive director Steve Miller. The guns, which will
be auctioned off over the next three months on GunBroker.
com, have an estimated value of $200,000, Miller adds.
“YSSA’s president, Cyndi Flannigan, and I are delighted
by the scale of this generous donation,” Miller says.
The proceeds from the auctions will help cover the costs
of purchasing new guns that the YSSA loans to youth programs such as 4-H and Boy
Scouts of America.
“We are proud to partner
with Midway USA’s owners,
Larry and Brenda Potterfield,”
Flannigan says. “Their contributions to youth shooting have
been remarkable.”
The YSSA was established
in 2007 with the mission to
help the shooting-sports
industry identify youth shootLarry Potterfield and
ing programs worthy of supCyndi Flannigan work to
port.—John B. Snow
improve youth shooting.

DAY 4, JANUARY 20, 2012 ■ SHOT BUSINESS DAILY ■ 1

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1/20/12 9:49 AM

news

The Ghost Makes
Its Appearance

Field & Stream editor-in-chief Anthony Licata (podium) kicks
off the discussion, saying that sportsmen continue to have
their voices heard in Congress because of their ability to unite
for the causes of public access and wildlife conservation.

Sportsmen United
for Funding Fight

F

ield & Stream magazine’s Heroes of
Conservation program is veritable proof
that ordinary hunters and fishermen are
out in the field doing extraordinary things. In
the past seven years, the program has profiled
170 outdoorsmen who are working tirelessly to
create, improve, and restore wildlife and habitat. But more than that, the program has garnered a reputation for leading the charge in
conservation action and awareness.
On Wednesday, the magazine held a roundtable discussion with an esteemed panel of
experts to open people’s eyes to one of the
timely issues facing all sportsmen—the potential loss of federal funding for habitat protection and public land access.
“Hunting and fishing are not drains on the
budget—they’re economic drivers that generate millions of dollars in revenue,” said
Anthony Licata, editor-in-chief of Field &
Stream. “But with the economy struggling and
a budget crisis in Washington, there are valid
questions about whether Americans can continue to fund some of these programs.”
Licata moderated the discussion, and noted
that protecting wildlife and habitat should be
one of the industry’s primary tasks. “We’ve
seen that conservation programs that help
sportsmen are facing cuts that are disproportionate. Eliminating funding could devastate
hunting land for generations,” he said.
Following Licata’s lead, the discussion tackled a wide range of questions aimed at modern
sportsmen and relevant sporting brands,
including: What can dealers and companies do
to make clients and customers more aware and
involved in the issues? What are the political

motivations behind some of the proposed budget cuts? How will the cuts affect the North
American model of being able to hunt almost
anywhere? And what will the future hold for
hunters and fishermen?
David Ramsey, Field & Stream’s Conservation
Hero of the Year for 2011, said sportsmen’s
strength in the fight against funding cuts lies in
their numbers. “The key to conservation is partnering among groups, communities, and individuals,” he said.
Rob Southwick, president of Southwick
Associates, said, “As time goes on, things are
going to get worse. We’ll see private lands
developing and denying access. The most
important reason to be concerned is that our
livelihoods depend on people allowing us to
hunt and fish. As hunters and fishermen, we
provide the base—the dollars and cents—for
conservation, which is then put into action.”
Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of
Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership,
spoke about the industry reaction to HR1, the
House budget bill that dealt a blow to federal
conservation programs last February, saying,
“A lot of us realized we weren’t prepared to
deal with what just happened.”
Jeff Trandahl, the executive director and
CEO of the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation, was hopeful looking ahead. He
noted that sportsmen rallying to form conservation coalitions, like the one that wrote to
Speaker of the House John Boehner last year,
are proving successful. “The future is about
refining our messages. It’s relationship-based.
This is the year we either solidify our position
for years to come, or fall back.”—John Burgman

The crossbow is not new technology. It’s been
around since the fourth century B.C. But for years
in the United States, its use as a hunting implement had been restricted to disabled hunters.
No longer.
As states look to create more hunting opportunities, they’ve looked anew at the crossbow—and
they like what they see. In fact, the design has
been a boon to aging sportsmen who no longer
can use a compound bow.
One trend is certain—as more hunters adapt the
platform, manufacturers are racing to upgrade
their product lines. Case in point: The Ghost 400
Carbonlite, the flagship of the Barnett line.
“The Ghost 400 Carbonlite leads the industry
with raw power, shooting at lightning speeds of
400-plus feet per second,” says Barnett brand
manager B.J. Wolf. “This bow features our proprietary New Carbon Riser Technology (CRT), and it
is by far the lightest and strongest in its class.
Barnett has the only patent-protected, ultralight,
super-strong carbon riser.”
According to Wolf, the CNC-machined aluminum flight track and the 3.5-pound trigger pull
delivers a smooth-shooting experience. In addition, the anti-dry-fire trigger adds safety while
delivering maximum accuracy downrange. The
crossbow is also equipped with an over-molded
laminated limbs technology that Barnett calls
AVI (Anti-Vibration Isolation).
The Ghost 400 package comes with three
22-inch custom carbon arrows by Easton,
Barnett’s new Talon crossbow sling, the New
Carbon Cross three-arrow quiver with Hip attachment, a rope-cocking device, and a premium
paper-sighted illuminated scope.
“There was a lot of sweat equity put into bringing the Ghost 400 to market, but it was a labor of
love,” Wolf says. “We believe it will exceed your
expectations all around.” SRP: $999. Booth
#15522. (800-237-4507; barnettcrossbows)

With features like new Carbon Riser Technology
and a 3.5-pound trigger pull, the Ghost 400 is a
crossbow for the 21st Century.

Otis Technology Announces Sales Awards

O

The various awards from Otis
Technology recognize the best in the
industry from the past year.

tis Technology, manufacturer
of firearms cleaning systems
and accessories, has named
Joe Crosby, from Ken Jeffries
Associates, its 2011 Sales Rep of the
Year. The manufacturer also gave Jeff
Robles and Associates its 2011 Sales
Rep Agency of the Year Award.
“Joe Crosby took great initiative in
opening new accounts within his territory and demonstrated consistent

follow-up with all accounts within his
area as well as with representatives of
Otis,” said Otis commercial sales
associate Anthony Austin.
The 2011 Otis Sales
Representative Agency of the Year
had a remarkable year of sales
achievements. “Jeff Robles and
Associates has exhibited a high
degree of professionalism when
interacting with their accounts as

well as with Otis personnel,” said
Otis commercial channel manager
Frank Devlin. “They are responsible
for expansion within the key accounts
in the Western United States and
achieved the highest percentage of
growth among all Otis sales agencies
for the year. For continuously being
willing to go the extra mile, we are
pleased to recognize Jeff and his team
with this award.”

4 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

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1/19/12 6:16 PM

news

For Shooting Retailers,
Competition Goes Far

A

s independent gun shop owners consider
their competitors, the most common
approach is to look at area big-box retailers,
online businesses, and other local sporting-goods
stores. But that isn’t enough, warns Miles Hall.
Hall, the owner of H&H Shooting Sports
Complex in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, spoke to
retailers yesterday about the importance of properly assessing who their competition really is. Hall
and his wife began H&H more than 30 years ago.
Today, it is a 71,250-square-foot facility that houses 55 lanes for shooting both firearms and archery,
gunsmith services, a retail area, and a full-service
café. It is the largest such facility in Oklahoma.
“Our real competitors are the businesses that
take people away from shooting and give them
something else to do,” Hall says. Shopping malls,
movie theaters, and even restaurants all must be
considered when building a marketing strategy that
will draw more foot traffic to gun retailers’ aisles.
But first, a store or range owner must objectively examine his business through the eyes of the
consumer, which can be hard to do since many
owners often feel they know best.
“You have to focus on the needs of your guests

and determine what it is you offer them that is different,” says Hall. By maintaining close contacts
with his customers and tailoring programs that make
them feel welcome and deliver the help and guidance they need, Hall is able to consistently adjust his
approach to keep them happy. He even uses images
captured from the store’s security cameras to analyze
consumer traffic patterns in the facility and determine where customers are spending time in the
store and what areas are receiving less attention.
“The audience is always changing, and if you
rely on doing things they way you did in the past,
you may find you’re not meeting your consumer’s
expectations,” Hall says. “It’s important to remain
relevant to them.”
Hall also stressed the importance that social
media and message boards play in it all.
“You have to pay attention to forums, rating sites,
and sites such as Facebook. Respond to all of the
comments—especially the negative ones,” he says.
“It isn’t always comfortable to respond to such
comments, but it can be vital to win over consumers
who may have had a justifiably bad experience with
your business. It can also show others that you care
about providing excellent service.”—Doug Howlett
Miles Hall of H&H
Shooting Sports in
Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, tells an
audience that there’s no
time for slowing down
in the retail world.
Retailers must be in
constant communication with their customers, and must be using
customer trends and
feedback to improve
their business.

Boot Makeover

I

f you’ve watched the reality show
Deadliest Catch, you may have
noticed that everyone on every
boat wears a brown rubber boot
called Xtratuf, which keeps them
glued to the ship in some of the
worst weather in the world.
In Alaska, commercial fisherman
and locals alike have embraced the
brown Xtratuf rubber boot as a statement of individuality. The shoe is
unchanged since its introduction in
the 1960s, and remains the most popular-selling boot in the state of Alaska.
For the first time in almost 40 years,
Xtratuf has launched a new boot, the
Xtratuf II. “We have no plans to
change a product that has reached cult
status by the residents of Alaska. “The
boots are so beloved that we actually
receive wedding photos of Alaskans
getting married in their Xtratuf
boots,” says Harry Friedman, global

category manager footwear of
Honeywell Safety Products. “That
said, it’s time to offer a choice of upto-date materials, but still remain true
to the original design,” says Friedman.
Using a 5mm neoprene shell, the
new 16-inch Xtratuf II has kept the
traditional Chevron grip sole and the
light cream wrap. Inside, the boots
are lined with Airmesh for moisture
management and warmth, and have a
supportive removable outsole.
The Xtratuf II will ship to retailers
in the spring, and is expected to capture the hearts and minds of hunters
and trappers all over the U.S.— not
just Alaska. SRP: $149. Booth #10951.

Sportsman Channel announced the winners of its 2011
Sportsman Choice Awards at a reception Wednesday
evening at the 2012 SHOT Show. Winners included
Muddy’s Midwest Whitetail with Bill Winke and Guns &
Ammo, hosted by Craig Boddington. In addition, Tom
Taylor (below), co-founder of Honored American
Veterans Afield (HAVA), accepted the Sportsman of the
Year award. This award was created to honor members
of America’s Armed Forces.
HAVA was conceived and organized in 2007 by a
committee of shooting-sports-industry executives who
wanted to help disabled combat veterans heal and reintegrate into normal life through participation in outdoor events.

Prois Awards Give Nod
to Women Shooters

O

n Tuesday afternoon, SHOT Show attendees made their
way to the Prois Hunting and Field Apparel booth,
where the Colorado-based manufacturer of women’s
hunting clothing offered a sneak peak at their newest gear, and
announced the grand prize winner of the 2011 Prois Awards.
The 2011 winner was
Andrea Fisher, a hunter from
Hudson, Massachusetts. The
annual Prois Awards recognize
“the most hardcore female
hunters,” and provide the winner with the hunt of a lifetime—elk, mule deer, whitetail,
and wolf in the Canadian
Rocky Mountains, as well as a
robust gear package from Prois
and a number of other brands.
“We wanted this year’s award
to incorporate conservation
efforts, as well as education and
community involvement, and
Andrea Fisher was a great

choice in that regard,” said
Kirstie Pike, CEO of Prois.
More than 70 women submitted applications from all
over the country. The applications were then reviewed by a
panel of judges, who whittled
the pool down to 12 women.
Finally, online voters chose
Fisher as the winner.
“The caliber of women who
submitted applications was
incredible,” said Pike. “We
were all really happy with the
way the whole thing turned
out.” Booth 10223. (970-6413355; proishunting.com)

Prois 2011 grand-prize-winner Andrea Fisher (standing, third from
left) with members of the Prois staff.

Vanguard’s Big
Move Into Hunting

I

n 1986, an entrepreneur by the name of
Anne Lee hit upon the notion of creating a company that would supply camera buffs with high-quality tripods. She
secured a manufacturing facility in China
and then watched as consumers accepted
the product. Buoyed by this success, two
years later Vanguard added camera bags and
hard cases to the lineup. By 1992, the company had established an office in the United
States and had expanded the line to include
monopods and ball heads. So, how did this
photo-video accessory manufacturer end up
in the hunting business?
“In 1997, an American rep who was an
avid hunter suggested that we get into the
outdoors industry,” says Vanguard marketing executive Jody Lamb. “He told the
company, ‘You do such a great job with
these tripods, you really should be making
shooting sticks. You could do a great job
with that. The same goes for your hard
cases for photo gear. You should be making
bow and gun cases.’”
Lamb says the company did some market
research and decided the outdoors industry
would be a good fit; the following year
Vanguard began marketing private-label
shooting sticks, tripods, and hard cases. It
was a big move. Had the company read the
market correctly?
“Fortunately, we did very well very quickly,” Lamb says. “Even today, our shooting
sticks continue to sell well because we are
committed to creating innovative products.”
By 1999, Vanguard led the bow and firearms case market, and increased its footprint
in this niche when it introduced Winchesterbranded cases. It had also created brand loyalty among hunters who were using Vanguard
pivot bipods. Another company might have
rested on its laurels, but Lee’s entrepreneurial
spirit sensed another opportunity—sporting
optics.
“Certainly one of the most important
tools that a hunter can have is optics,” says
Lamb. “So we decided to invest in a multimillion-dollar state-of-the-art opticaldesign facility and bring in an expert optical-engineering design team.”
So far so good, but then Vanguard
showed it truly understood the mind of the
American hunter.
“I think the most important thing we did
was to put together a sales team of hunters—North American hunters—who are
involved in product development. I think
that gives us a competitive advantage,
because these are lifelong hunters who
know what works and what doesn’t. And
because they know what the demand is,
they can help us create what’s needed to satisfy that demand.”
Lee and her team also understood that
Vanguard’s long-term success rested on its
hard-won reputation for quality. The last
thing the manufacturer wanted was to be
perceived as just another low-cost, lowquality Asian import.
“We spent several years determining what
kind of glass and technology were needed to
meet the needs of hunters,” says Lamb.

“We knew that our products needed to perform well in low-light conditions and in
foul weather.”
As just one example of the built-in quality
that resulted from the company’s research,
Lamb cites the top-of-the line Endeavor
ED 1042, which was introduced last year.
“This product features an ergonomic, openbridge design for comfortable use, a wideangle view, BAK-4 roof prisms, an antireflection coating, a large focus adjustment
wheel, and long eye relief. The magic
behind its performance lies in the premium
ED glass, which reduces color dispersion to
provide high-resolution colors and clarity.
And it’s waterproof and fogproof.”
All for an SRP of $569. Even better, the
street price is more like $399.
“The challenge for us was to put in those
features, and make the product affordable
for the average hunter,” she says. “A lot of
the optics out there today are extremely
expensive. We wanted to deliver that technology at a more affordable price point.”
Lamb notes that because Vanguard is not
as well known as some brands that enjoy the

luxury of multi-million-dollar marketing
budgets, the company is able to offer its
optics at a more affordable price. That’s also
the reason Vanguard relies so heavily on
social media and its pro staff to help get the
word out.
One big concern for independent retailers
is the long delivery time (as much as 120
days) for imports. Lamb says that because
Vanguard is the manufacturer, they are able
to control quality and ensure reasonable
delivery times, typically within 60 days, to
their Michigan office. Vanguard maintains
stocks of many of its products—especially
its optics—so delivery to dealers is fast.
“We know it’s important to get our products to the dealers as quickly as possible,”
she says. I don’t think any dealer would disagree. Booth #14825. (800-875-3322;
vanguardworld.com) —Slaton L. White

8 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

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news

New Beginning for
Kids & Clays

T

he Kids & Clays Foundation is entering
its 14th year of hosting shooting-sports
events to benefit Ronald McDonald
Houses across the nation. In that time, it has
helped generate more than $8 million for
Ronald McDonald House Charities. With
more than 15 additional Ronald McDonald
Houses requesting participation in the Kids &
Clays program, the need to grow the foundation was evident, so a new Board of Directors
was formed and a full-time executive director
was hired in 2011. Glenn Lubeznik, founder
and president of Kids & Clays Foundation,
says, “We are so appreciative of the incredible
support that we have received from the shooting industry, and hope to continue to grow our
partnerships so that even more families of criti-

cally ill children will be positively impacted by
the industry’s generosity.”
Kim Rhode, Olympian and the official
spokesperson for the Kids & Clays Foundation,
says, “The outdoor sports are about the kids
and family, so it is only natural that I support
the Kids & Clays Foundation.”
Rhode recently qualified for her fifth
Olympic competition. She took gold at her
first Olympics, in 1996, and has won a medal in
every Game since then. As a measure of her
true greatness, when her event, double trap,
was eliminated, she switched to skeet—and still
won. If she wins another medal in London,
she’ll be the first American to have won five
medals in an individual sport in five Olympics.
Booth #L336. (kidsandclays.com)

ikon Sporting Optics recently
presented Greg Rodriguez of
Intermedia Outdoors with
the Ian McMurchy Award at the
2012 SHOT Show. The award honors Rodriguez for his outstanding
editorial coverage on the outdoors
and his dedication to our hunting
heritage and shooting sports.
Since 2010, Nikon Sport Optics has
recognized an outdoors communicator who best follows in McMurchy’s
footsteps of educating readers and
helping them discover more enjoyment and success in their sport during
the past year by providing them with
the Ian McMurchy Award.
“The Ian McMurchy Award has
become a prestigious award for
Nikon, and we take pride in selecting
a well-deserving recipient each year,”
said Jon LaCorte, senior product
marketing manager for Nikon Sport
Optics. “We believe that Greg exemplifies the high standards in outdoors

communication and education that
would make Ian proud. The relationship we have with outdoors communicators such as Greg is essential to
our success.”
The late Ian McMurchy was a
huge force in educating and entertaining shooters and hunters around
the world, while teaching them how
to enjoy their passion even more.
Greg demonstrates that tradition
through his work in publications
such as Guns & Ammo, Petersen’s
Hunting, Shooting Times, and many
other popular outdoors magazines
and websites, as well as his new television show, A Rifleman’s Journal, airing on the Sportsman’s Channel.
“I am truly honored to have been
selected to receive this award,” said
Rodriguez. “Ian was such a positive
force in our industry, and I hope that
my work will continue to educate
and entertain readers in a manner
that reflects his influence.”

Glenn Helgeland, founder of Target Communications, which was
recently acquired by Bonnier Corporation (publisher of Field &
Stream and Outdoor Life), was honored yesterday with the 2012
Cabela’s Lifetime Business Achievement Award.
The award was accepted by Glenn Helgeland and his spouse, Judy,
and was presented by Tommy Millner, president of Cabela’s Inc.;
Mike Callahan, president of Aspen Partners and chairman of the
Outdoor Business Council; and Bud Pidgeon, U.S. Sportsmen’s
Alliance (USSA) president.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its Outdoor Business Council
created the award in 2006 to honor the Cabela family’s dedication
to protecting outdoor sports,
including hunting, fishing,
and trapping. It is presented
to companies that demonstrate the same passion and
commitment to protecting
America’s outdoor heritage
as the Cabela family has
shown.
“This is our way of honoring the Cabela family and
other leaders, such as Target
Communications, in the outdoor business community
for their efforts to defend
our rights,” said Pidgeon.
Target Communications
was founded in 1980 by
Glenn and Judy Helgeland
and has produced numerous
hunting-focused publicaThe 2012 Cabela’s Lifetime Business
tions as well as creating the
Achievement Award was presented to
four largest deer and turkey
Glenn Helgeland on Thursday.
expos in the U.S. These
sportsmen’s shows are widely recognized for attracting large crowds
of enthusiastic hunters. Helgeland has also been a prolific outdoors
writer, with more than 21 books to his credit, including some of the
most recognized titles in the archery industry. Helgeland is a charter
member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association and is the
founding editor of Archery Business magazine.
For years, Target Communication has been a major supporter of conservation. Its support of USSA’s Outdoor Business Council, a coalition
of businesses dedicated to protecting outdoor traditions, has made a
large impact on hunting and shooting programs from coast to coast.

10 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

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1/19/12 3:23 PM

NEWS

The Forgotten 16

When a hunter
requires do-everything versatility
from a shotgun,
the 16-gauge
really shines.

Why this neglected gauge is the
finest choice for upland birds
By John M. Taylor

W

hat is the perfect upland gun? Is it a 12-gauge, a
20-gauge, or a 28? All good choices, but the truth is that
it’s the nearly forgotten 16-gauge—with its 1-ounce
load, light weight, and good balance—that is seemingly purposebuilt for upland hunting.
Using W. W. Greener’s squareload theory—whereby the width of
an ideal load’s shot charge equals the
diameter of the bore—the 16’s .662
bore and 1 ounce of shot are a perfect fit. That combination leads to
excellent patterns coupled with plenty of shot to bag any upland bird,
from bobwhite to pheasant. Now add
a lightweight but well-balanced shotgun built on a true 16- or 20-gauge
action that makes carrying easy and,
at the flush, points like a magic
wand, and you have the perfect bird
gun. Despite this evidence, the 16
has been on life support for decades.

Thin Pickings

Skeet is credited with keeping the
28-gauge alive, and it’s a good thing
it did, because hunters have recently
recognized the charm of the 28, giving it an advantage the 16 hasn’t had.
Part of the 16’s misfortune is the
paltry menu of available loads. Lead
field loads are available in Nos. 4, 6,
7 1⁄2, and 8, and non-lead loads come
in Nos. 2 and 4 steel. Alternative
nontoxic pellets, such as Kent’s
Tungsten Matrix and Hevi-Shot’s
Classic Doubles, provide lead-equivalent density (10.4 gr/cc) in shot sufficiently soft to be used in classic shot-

guns. Time was when a 3-inch
16-gauge was discussed, but it proved
a bad idea ballistically, and the market
demand wasn’t there. Its extra-long
shot column didn’t perform well, so
gun makers decided to keep the 16 in
balance with its square, 1-ounce load.

Bags Everything

My first shotgun was a 16-gauge
Winchester Model 12. Concurrent
with my new/used shotgun came the
“short magnum,” which meant cramming an extra bit of shot— 1 ¼ ounces—into a 2 ¾-inch hull to “extend
the range.” I never did any real patterning with the short magnum in
my Model 12; my father had lived
through the Great Depression and
didn’t countenance shooting at anything other than game. So testing
was limited to a shot at a page of
newspaper, and I don’t recall the
result. I shot lots of cottontails,
squirrels, pheasants, and ducks with
those short magnums, and learned to
deal with the heavy recoil. Shooting
was much more pleasant with
1-ounce field loads.

Future Prospects

Even though our society embraces the

bigger-is-better philosophy, the
16-gauge strikes down that idea every
time someone takes one into the field.
Center a cock pheasant in its 1-ounce
pattern, and the bird drops just as
dead as if hit with a 3 ½-inch magnum.
Yet the 16 is light enough to carry all
day and balances with the best of
them.

What the future holds for the
16-gauge is hard to tell. I suspect
it will continue to limp along unheralded until, like slim neckties, bellbottoms, and leisure suits, it will
someday see a resurgence in interest
and perhaps return to prominence as
the king of the grouse woods and
quail thickets.

Current 16s: Options for Today’s Hunters
Today’s Guns: Browning currently makes several models of its excellent Citori over/under in
16-gauge, and for pump-gun aficionados, the
excellent Browning bottom-ejecting BPS is
catalogued in two models. The Citoris favor
light upland models such as the Feather
Lightning and Feather Superlight. Tony
Galazan’s Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing
Co. offers its wonderful RBL side-by-side in
16-gauge with many options. The Italian firm
Fausti, run by the three Fausti sisters, manufactures 16s and now has an office in
Fredericksburg, Virginia. Griffin & Howe, now in
Bernardsville, New Jersey, imports 16s from

Spain and Italy. AyA USA and Jack Rowe
import AyAs in 16, so the new-gun cupboard
isn’t exactly bare.
Vintage Doubles: At one time the 16 was
widely used in the South for quail, and in the
Northeast many a ruffed grouse and woodcock
fell to the 16. Midwesterners used it to put lots
of cottontails in their bags. Sleek doubles by
Parker, Fox, L.C. Smith, Ithaca, and others, with
a bored or improved cylinder in the right barrel
and modified in the left, were the foremost
quail and grouse guns in America. What made
these doubles so appealing was that they were
made on an action sized to the gauge, with the

barrels selected to match the action and overall balance of the gun, producing a sleek, finehandling shotgun for the uplands.
Sweet 16: Nearly as appealing as these doubles was the Browning Sweet 16 semi-automatic. Made on their own 16-gauge-size
actions, the Sweet 16 and regular 16 Auto-5
were beloved by their owners. (Browning’s
Auto-5 20-gauge was also made on this
action, while today its 16-gauge BPS pump is
made on a 20-gauge action.) In addition,
Winchester, Remington, and others made
16-gauge repeaters through the 1960s, when
hunter interest waned.

New 16-gauge shotguns come in both custom and factory configurations. The Fausti Caledon (shown here) is a factory-made over/under
from Italy that lists for $2,750.

The Next Level
Innovations are pushing airguns
into new territory By Jock Elliot

A

irguns can offer new shooting and hunting venues for
your customers while boosting your profits. They are
legal to shoot in many places where you cannot shoot
firearms, are kind to the wallet on a per-shot basis, often deliver
astonishing accuracy, and are enjoyable to shoot for everyone
from the experienced marksman to the greenest youngster.
Here’s what’s new for 2012.

Crosman
Corporation

Crosman Corporation, long known
for innovation and quality in products
for the shooting sports, is introducing
a new Benjamin break-barrel pistol.
The .177-caliber single-shot pistol is
powered by Crosman Nitro Piston
technology. Remarkably quiet, the
new Benjamin pistol achieves velocities of up to 500 feet per second (fps),
features a rifled steel barrel, and is
equipped with a cocking aid and an
ergonomic, all-weather ambidextrous
grip with finger grooves for added
stability and comfort. The 3/8-inch
grooved, dovetail receiver is ready for
mounting optics, or use the hooded,
fiber-optic front sight and adjustable
rear sight included on the pistol.
The new M417 pneumatic air rifle,
assembled in the USA, shoots both
.177 pellets and BBs. The multi-pump
air rifle features a textured polymer
stock, forearm, and receiver. The variable pump action is easy to use for
right- and lefthanders, and the adjust-

able shoulder stock benefits shooters
of all sizes. The M417 comes
equipped with a windage-adjustable
dual-aperture flip rear sight and an
elevation-adjustable front sight, both
easily removed to allow for a scope,
red dot, flashlight, or laser. For added
convenience, a sight adjustment tool
and Firepow’r pellet clip are stored in
the magazine for easy access.
The BB reservoir is located on the
side of the receiver and holds up to
350 BBs. An 18-shot internal track
feeds BBs into the action. Using pellets, the precision-rifled steel barrel
consistently delivers accurate groups.
The M417 offers velocities of up to
660 fps with BBs and 625 fps with
7.9-grain .177-caliber pellets. The
multiple pump action gives shooters
the option to shoot farther and hit
harder. SRP: $119.
The new Crosman C-TT is a CO2powered .177-caliber semi-automatic
BB repeater air pistol styled after a
World War II–era Russian service
handgun. Adding to the realism of the

BKL Technologies

BKL Technologies, which bills itself as the Rimfire and Airgun Mount
Specialist, is expanding the world’s largest selection of rimfire and
airgun dovetail-mounting solutions to include an Adjustable Scope
Mount System. Featuring BKL’s patented Auto-Centering and Clamp
Spreading technology, this mount is ideal for rifles that need additional scope elevation adjustment and for those shooters trying to
keep their crosshairs optically centered in the scope tube.
The BKL adjustable-mount system is a significant improvement
over traditional adjustable-scope mounts available on the market
today; this design incorporates side rails for mounting additional
shooting accessories, a lower profile than usually achievable in an
adjustable mount, 2.5 inches of clamping length with six clamping
screws, and availability for 1-inch or 30mm scope tubes. SRP: $75.
Booth #2036. (877-247-4867; bkltech.com)
BKL’s
Adjustable
Scope Mount
System helps
keep the
crosshairs
centered to
maximize
precision.

16 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

Daystate: The
MK4 Panther is a
highly accurate
target rifle that
utilizes a computerized airmanagement
system to
achieve consistent velocities. It
can be used as a
10-shot repeater
or a single-shot,
and comes with
a three-year
warranty.

products

FX: The Gladiator Mk IIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new tactical stock is more
robust and better-looking, and has an adjustable buttplate. The air rifle comes with a 12-shot magazine.

C-TT is its generous weight and the
all-metal body. The 18-round mag
drops at the push of a button for
quick reloading. This semi-automatic
repeater is powered by a Powerlet
12-gram CO2 cartridge. It features a
comfortable polymer-grip alloy body
and is equipped with a front blade and
rear notch sight. The C-TT holds up
to 18 4.5mm BBs. SRP: $99.99.
Crosman is also introducing a new,
patent-pending Benjamin high-pressure hand pump, the new Benjamin
Turbo Aire. It provides up to 3,000
pounds per square inch and is ideal
for pre-charged pneumatic airguns.
Thanks to its patent-pending design,
the amount of exertion required to
pump has been reduced by nearly 40
percent. A moisture trap that separates water from the compressed air

during filling and an air filter containing a color-changing desiccant protect
the gun while it is being charged. The
pump features a wide footplate for
easy pumping, and weighs less than
6 pounds. SRP: $299. Booth #13940.
(800-724-7486; crosman.com)

Daystate LTD

New for Daystate in 2012 is the MK4
Panther. This highly accurate target
rifle is made from the very finest
components and combines computerized air management systems for
super-consistent velocity, a German
match barrel for impressive accuracy,
and a patented Italian-made adjustable target stock for the ultimate in
comfort. The Panther incorporates
recoil-reduction technology that gives

a shooter the ability to adjust the firing sensation to his or her liking.
This award-winning rifle, which
includes a three-year warranty, can be
used as a 10-shot repeater or singleshot for match use.
The new Daystate Wolverine is a
major leap forward for the English
gunmaker. The Wolverine has one of
the finest breech block systems ever
made for an air rifle, and includes a
patented magazine indexing and massive bolt for accuracy and strength.
Harper patent valving and match
barrel produce extreme long-range
accuracy and power. The finest
Italian stock is standard on this new
platform for Daystate. The
Wolverine has been in development
for three years. Booth #13707c.
(480-461-1113; airgunsofarizona.com)

FX

The Gladiator Mk II incorporates a
refined breech block with an air-control power adjuster that has three
precise levels: 12, 20, and 33 footpounds. New valving gives more
accurate shots per fill, and a new
sound-eliminating shroud system
produces a nearly silent report. Dual
front and rear air supplies provide
100-plus shots out of the smoothtwist barrel that will give .5-inch
50-yard groups. A 12-shot magazine
is standard, and the rifle can also be
used as a single-shot.
The Verminator 2 sports all the
new refinements of the Gladiator in
a small package; at 33 inches, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a
full 11 inches shorter, and weighs less
than 6 pounds. The new Royale Mk
II is the flagship of the FX line, and

products

includes heavy-duty valving for higher power and high performance,
along with a smooth twist barrel, an
upgraded 12-shot magazine, and an
upgraded sound-suppression system.
FX is also introducing a new revolutionary caliber: the .30-caliber,
47-grain Big Boar pellet. This pellet
is built to satisfy the demands of
hunters and long-range target shooters, and will be offered for use in the
new .30 FX Royale and Gladiator
rifles. Preliminary performance figures show up to 100 foot-pounds of
energy with flat trajectory. The shot
count out of the Royale 500 is estimated at 35 to 40 consistently accurate shots. Booth #13707c. (480-4611113; airgunsofarizona.com)

GAMO

The Bull Whisper Extreme just
could be the ultimate varmint-hunting air rifle. It features a new power

In addition to that, the air rifle features a green, all-weather synthetic
stock with rubber inserts, a new SWA
recoil pad, and a Gamo 4x32 scope.
PBA Platinum pellets are included.
SRP: $269.95.
The Hunter SuperSport combines
a black all-weather synthetic stock
with an adjustable cheekpiece, the
SWA recoil pad and SAT trigger, and
a 3–9x40 AO, enabling the shooter to
have excellent precision when shooting to targets or hunting. This air
rifle has a velocity of up to 1,250 fps
with PBA Platinum. It includes the
Red Fire and also the PBA Platinum
ammunition. SRP: $249.95.
The Camo Rocket IGT 1300 also
utilizes IGT, whch allows the shooter
to have more terminal velocity (up to
1,300 fps with PBA Platinum), less
vibration, more consistent power,
and a constant and smooth cocking
effort. The Camo Rocket IGT incorporates a Realtree camo all-weather

Leapers: Offering a variety of new optics for airguns this year, Leapers’ new
products include (from left) the new UTG 4-inch Compact Red/Green Circle
Dot Sight, the UTG 3–9x32mm compact scope, and the UTG 3X magnifier.

plant that gives it more power and
terminal penetration than standard
air rifles, shooting at up to 1,400 fps
in .177 and 1,000 fps in .22 with PBA
Bullet ammunition. It also features a
crisp and creep-free trigger, and new
Bull Whisper noise-dampening technology, integrated in the bull barrel
(hence the name). The Bull Whisper
Extreme has a 3–9x40 AO (adjustable
objective) scope and a new recoil pad
(SWA: Shock Wave Absorber) able
to absorb up to 74 percent of the
recoil. It also has an all-weather
black stock with rubberized grips.
The .177 version comes with the
PBA Bullet and the TS-10 pellets;
the .22 version comes with the PBA
Bullet and the TS-22 pellets. SRP:
$319.95.
The Bone Collector Bull Whisper
is the new Michael Waddell’s Bone
Collector TV airgun for 2012. This
air rifle, available in .177 and .22,
integrates the Bull Whisper noisedampening technology with the IGT
Inert Gas Technology: a pneumatic
cylinder that replaces the spring,
enabling the shooter to have more
terminal velocity (1,300 fps with
Platinum in .177) and less vibration.

stock with the SWA recoil pad. This
air rifle features a Gamo 4x32 scope
and includes PBA Platinum ammunition. SRP: $239.95.
The new Michael Waddell’s Bone
Collector TV lead pellet features a
rounded tip and a grooved skirt, making it more aerodynamic and good for
hunting at long distances. The Bone
Collector pellet has a high ballistic
coefficient; it also delivers more terminal penetration than standard lead
pellets and has a stable flight trajectory due to the 7.56-grain (.177) and
15.43-grain (.22) weights. SRP: $9.95
The Varmint Stalker incorporates
the Bull Whisper as well. It also has
a black all-weather synthetic stock
and SWA recoil reduction. This airgun comes with a Gamo 4x32 scope
and has a velocity of 1,250 fps with
PBA Platinum ammunition (included). SRP: $239.95. Booth #11053.
(954-581-5822; gamousa.com)

Leapers

The new UTG 3–9X32mm compact
scope is the latest addition to the
well-known Bug Buster line from
Leapers. This scope comes with

20 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

1-inch integral main tube that is
forged and precision-machined from
lightweight, high-strength 6061 T6
aircraft-grade aluminum alloy with
fine matte black anodizing for longterm wear resistance. Based on
Leapers’ unique True Strength (TS)
platform, the scope has a spherical
structure inside for connecting the
inner tube to the main tube for accurate and smooth windage and elevation adjustment and reliable zero
holding. This design has been extensively tested to hold the most punishing shock and vibration from airgun
and firearm recoil. The scope is
nitrogen-filled and fully sealed to
make it fogproof and rainproof.
The scope features a range-estimating mil-dot reticle and side wheel
adjustable red/green illumination. It
includes zero lockable/resettable
(ZL/R) windage and elevation turrets
for tool-free sight-in and convenient
re-zeroing operations, and comes

each direction. The sight is complete
with integral quick-detach base for
quick, tool-free mounting and release
on Picatinny/Weaver rails. Flip-open
lens caps are included. It comes with a
two-year warranty.
The upgraded UTG 3X magnifier
comes with a fast-focus eyepiece with
dioptric adjustment from -1 to +1
diopters and has a 9-degree field of
view. The lenses are precision
ground and multi-coated for maximum light transmission. The fogproof, rainproof unit comes with separate quick-detach mounting base
and riser. The magnifier can be used
alone as a handheld monocular or on
a firearm as a magnifier co-witnessing with dot sights. Booths #2146 &
#2246. (734-542-1500; leapers.com)

with the European-styled fast-focus
eyepiece with dioptric correction
from -2 to +2 diopters. It has an
adjustable front objective that can be
set from 3 yards to infinity. The
internal design allows for at least 50
MOA of adjustment space to each
direction, which guarantees that with
this scope, the user will not only see
clearly as close as 3 yards but also
sight in at 3 yards. Other features
include a broadband multi-coated
lens for maximum light transmission
and excellent image quality, and a
medium-profile lever lock quickdetach rings. This scope is covered
by a lifetime warranty.
The new UTG 4-inch Compact
Red/Green Circle Dot Sight comes
with 38mm one-piece main tube that
is nitrogen-filled and fully sealed. It
also comes with finger-adjustable red/
green illumination with five different
brightness levels for each color. The
reflex reticle consists of a 4MOA dot
in the center and a 65MOA circle.
The precision-ground lens with multicoating delivers a crisp and vivid reticle floating on the image for quick target acquisition and accurate aiming.
The capped coin-adjustable windage
and elevation knobs provide smooth
and repeatable adjustment for reliable
sight-in and zero-holding. There is
generous 70MOA adjustment space to

eral BB pistols to its non-powder
lineup. New in Umarex’s line of
Ruger air rifles is the .22-caliber
Ruger Air Magnum. This singlestroke break-barrel rifle packs a
punch at 1,200 fps with an alloy pellet. SRP: $230.
Also under the Ruger badge is the
Ruger Mark I break-barrel pellet pistol. At 600 fps, with an alloy pellet,
this pistol is among the top speed
producers in pellet pistols. It comes
with a cocking assist, making it easier
to operate its single-stroke cocking
mechanism. Added under the
Browning brand is another breakbarrel pellet pistol that resembles a
Browning Buck Mark URX.
Umarex is expanding its line of
replica airguns with the introduction
of a Walther P38, Beretta-TWO,
and Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8
CO2-powered BB pistols. Of particular interest in Umarex’s BB lineup is
the Umarex Morph 3X. It comes in
three pieces and converts from a pistol to a rifle, delivering reported
velocities of 400 and 600 fps.
Rounding out Umarex’s airgun
introductions are a new Umarex airgun laser, Umarex-branded steel BBs,
and a Browning Shooter’s Kit for
both the company’s .177 and .22 airguns. Booth #14745. (479-646-4210;

Umarex USA

Umarex USA is adding three new
spring-powered pellet guns and sev-

umarexusa.com)

products

airsoft 2012

Low-Cost Realism

Whether for play or work, airsoft replicas have much
to offer By Jock Elliott

F

or high-fun, low-cost shooting, airsoft is hard to beat, and harder to keep on the shelves.
Shooting 6mm plastic BBs, these replica firearms are used for backyard fun, force-on-force
training, and scenario play. Here’s the latest for 2012.

Aftermath

The Stunt Studios PX200S is a new
spring pistol finished in high-quality
ABS. It has a magazine for 15
rounds, a velocity of 220 fps, and
weighs just 1.02 pounds. SRP:
$23.95. The Stunt Studios Arsenal
SLR105 is a 1/1 scale replica of the
SLR105 licensed by Arsenal, USA.
This model comes with adjustable
Hop-Up and a great line of accessories, including a sling, a battery, and
a charger. The high-capacity magazine for the SLR105 holds 420 BBs.
This model has a velocity of 140 fps
with .20-gram BBs. SRP: $79.95.

CQB for airsoft games. It is full
metal and has a foldable stock.
The Steyr AUG A2, licensed by
Steyr Mannlicher, Austria, is a highquality AEG rifle with an authentic
look and feel, built by ActionSport­
Games A/S (ASG), a Danish airsoft/
airgun company. It has a magazine
capacity of 300 rounds and a velocity
of 320 fps with .20-gram ammunition. It also has an accessory rail
where you can mount your preferred
aiming device. The front grip is collapsible and the internals are metalconstructed. SRP: $279.95.
The Dragunov SVD-S is a spring

Palco’s Taurus is a metal-slide pistol
that offers a realistic weight and feel
in the hand, and also propels BBs
faster than any other pistol on the
market. Other models in this line
include SIG Sauer and Colt.

The Aftermath PS-Compact is a
new realistic pistol that features a
full-metal body and an integrated
easy-loading system for 6mm BBs. It
has a velocity of 430 fps and the
magazine holds 19 BBs. The weight
and the power of this pistol make it
very attractive. SRP: $79.95.
Aftermath is launching two new
models that will be added to the current Kirenex police line. The
Kirenex CQB (SRP: $289.95) is a
high-performance airsoft gun specially designed for 6mm airsoft gaming in closed spaces. The Pro (SRP:
$299.95) is a carbine version. This
rifle is also used by elite police and
army personnel and includes a magazine BB roller. Both models are full
metal, adding a realistic weight and
look, and have 430 fps velocity.
Versatile and compact, the Kraken
Paratrooper (SRP: $224.95) is a replica of the model used by the Russian
Special Operations (Spetsnatz) and
by paratroopers. It is one of the best
options for interurban combat and

the CZ 75 in three different models:
CZ75D spring, the CZ75D CO2
Blowback, and the CZ75D in BB
4.5mm. SRP: $29.95 to $99.95.
Booth #11053. (954-581-5822;
aftermathairsoft.com)

Crosman
Corporation

Crosman Corporation has concluded a
strategic licensing agreement with the
U.S. Marine Corps for the design,
manufacture, distribution, and marketing of U.S. Marine Corps–branded airsoft products. Crosman will be introducing a complete line of Marines airsoft products, including rifles, pistols,
ammunition, and accessories.
Crosman also announced a new M4
CQB airsoft rifle. This automatic
electric gun is capable of launching
.20-gram projectiles at 400 fps. It features a die-cast zinc upper, thermoplastic lower, adjustable hop-up, 300round magazine, flip-up adjustable
front and rear sights, and a threeposition collapsible stock. The packaging includes the rifle, magazine,
instructions, rechargeable battery,
6mm ammo, filling adaptor, and
clearing rod. Booth # 13940. (800724-7486; crosman.com)

Game Face
airsoft sniper rifle for long-distance
shooting. It is licensed by Concern
Izhmash, Russia, the original manufacturer of the legendary SVD. All
the internal parts are made of metal
to match the extremely powerful
spring. It also features a high-quality
stock with an adjustable cheekpiece.
SRP: $224.95.
The Stunt Studios Mini Steyr is a
1:3 scale version of the Steyr AUG.
This gun can hold up to 170 rounds
of ammo, and has the ability to shoot
fully automatic mode. This is a small
non-stop shooting airsoft gun with
150 fps and 100 6mm BB magazine.
SRP: $39.95.
The biggest and most powerful
revolver in the Dan Wesson family is
the monstrous Aftermath 8-inch version. With impressive weight and
power, this CO2 4.5mm BB revolver
is a very realistic replica: It comes
with “bullets” that you can fill with
metal BBs, and it has a velocity of
426 fps. SRP: $169.95.
The Aftermath brand is offering

The first fully FN-licensed FAL
AEG to hit the market features a
metal body, a steel carry handle, a
reinforced gearbox, and an adjustable
spin-up and sights. Each gun comes
with a unique serial number. This
gun sports a weight of 7 pounds to
satisfy the demands of today’s airsofters. SRP: $399.
Also new for this year is a threegun AEG series bearing the famous
Blackwater trademark. This new

range of guns includes the BW15
CQB, the BW15 Carbine, and the
BW15 Sniper. These three models
will allow players to fill any role they
may find themselves in, from indoor
fields to the longest outdoor shots.
The entire series is produced by King
Arms and features full-metal bodies,
metal rail systems, metal outer barrels, and unique serial numbers. In
addition, some models come
equipped with Magpul parts to further enhance the performance of the
gun. SRP: $399 to $499.
Another key introduction for 2012
is the fully FN-licensed P90 AEG.
This gun has been made famous the
world over by many military and law
enforcement units, video games, TV
shows, and movies. The P90 features
a durable polymer body coupled with
a metal gearbox for the best mix of
performance and playability. SRP:
$249. Booth #3025. (800-882-4656;
palcosports.com)

Soft Air USA

Soft Air USA’s new line of metalslide pistols offers realistic weight
and feel with more velocity than any
other pistol in the market. These can
be found within the range of SIG
Sauer, Taurus, and Colt licenses.
There will also a renewed emphasis
on new products that will focus on
price points between $29.99 and
$129.99. Booth #2614. (800-3358191; softairusa.com)

Umarex USA

Umarex USA’s airsoft division, Elite
Force, was created last year and is
growing at a fast pace. Expansion is
continuing with the introduction of
an M4 CQC variant as well as two
officially licensed Heckler & Koch
models—the G36C and UMP. These
competition series guns retail in a
very lucrative price point range of
$199 to $239.
Elite Force by Umarex is also
offering a new BIO BB to meet the
demand of fields and indoor facilities
for an airsoft BB that breaks down
within 180 days in a compost environment, yet still performs in highquality airsoft guns.
At the upper end of airsoft guns is
Umarex’s Elite series. For 2012,
they’ve brought back the officially
licensed HK MP5 SD and are adding
two G36C V-series variants—the CV
and KV. For beginning airsofters and
plinkers, Umarex is offering a range
of airsoft guns, including a Beretta
PM12S, reported to be one of the
fastest manually operated spring airsoft gun on the market.
You’ll also see a Browning Hi
Power Mark III replica airsoft pistol,
an HK MP7 and a 416, as well as a
new Combat Zone kit that combines
a battery-powered MAG-9 and a
1911-style spring pistol at a retail
price of $59.95. Booth #14745. (479646-4210; umarexusa.com)

22 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

SHD04 Airsoft 2012.indd 22

12/23/11 5:44 PM

f e at u r e

The .375 Mystique

This British magnum, conceived 100 years ago,
remains a surprisingly versatile firearm and
cartridge By Wayne Van Zwoll

I

n 1912, the English gun-making firm of Holland & Holland announced the .375
Belted Rimless Nitro Express…and the world has never really been the same.
It’s a firearm—and round—that has captured the imagination of generations of
African hunters.

Long in the tooth, yes, but that doesn’t mean
the .375 has lost its appeal. That’s mainly because
it is still a truly useful cartridge—more useful, in
fact, than ever. Modern powders and bullets have
added muscle and versatility.
With some exceptions, African countries have
declared .375 as the minimum legal bore diameter
for the hunting of dangerous game. There are
other .375s, but the Holland & Holland is the
most common and most revered, and the ammo is
sold in just about every place you’ll find animals
big enough to test it.
Most load development of late has targeted dangerous game, with 300-grain softpoints and solids.
Norma loads a 350-grain Woodleigh, which I used
once to clobber an elephant. Centering the skull at
16 yards, the bullet drove nearly the full length of
the beast, lodging in a hip. Several tons of elephant hit the ground instantly and did not twitch.
The lightest bullet in original loadings, a 235grain softnose at 2,800 fps, is long dead, replaced
by more efficient spitzers of 270 grains or so.

Nosler’s 260-grain AccuBond flies as flat as a
150-grain TSX bullet from a .308 and delivers
more punch at 200 yards than most 7mm magnum
loads muster at the muzzle. Despite a proliferation
of potent .30 and .33 magnums, mid-weight softpoints in the .375 H&H have much to recommend
them. They excel for Alaskan brown bears, which
must sometimes be stopped, not just killed. In
Africa, carrying solids in one pocket and softs in
another is easier than toting two rifles. With a
.375, you can reach far to anchor plains game or
halt at spitwad range the hostilities of creatures
with feet the size of manhole covers.

Sharp Sting, Gentle Push

A mighty blow to the target often means claviclecracking recoil. It’s that way with my 7½-pound
.458. Even heavy rifles can’t easily rein in the violence of a .505 Gibbs. But the .375 is a civil round,
not unpleasant in rifles as light as 8 pounds.
Shooters of modest experience and slight build need

Clockwise from top:
This CZ 550 has the
proper “safari” look. The
author took this gemsbok with a Blaser R93.
The author’s leopard
was taken at close
range with a Montana
Summit Alaskan.

24 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

Remington’s Model 700
XCR II in .375 H&H may
not look like a traditional “African” rifle, but
don’t let its looks fool
you. It features a
24-inch barrel, and the
stainless-steel receiver
and barrel are coated
with a matte black
TriNyte corrosioncontrol system for
improved scratch- and
corrosion-resistance.

f e at u r e

not fear. In fact, the .375 can seem gentler than
lesser cartridges. Stiff loads in the .338 Winchester
and heavy-bullet recipes in the .300 Weatherby
hammer you harder—at least, it feels that way to
me. The claim that a .375 administers a push, not a
kick, may be overstatement, but this is surely the
best dangerous-game round for the recoil-shy.
Unlike its big-bore brethren, a .375 that’s comfortable to carry can also be comfortable to shoot.
Part of the .375’s enduring popularity has to do
with the people who have used it. John “Pondoro”
Taylor praised it in his 1948 book, African Rifles and
Cartridges, and Jack O’Connor called the .375 H&H
the queen of the medium-bores “and probably the
best all-around cartridge ever designed.” He noted
that a .375 zeroed with 270-grain bullets to strike 3
inches high at 100 yards will plant those bullets “on
the nose at or around 225 yards.” O’Connor wrote
that were he to hunt all over the world with only
one rifle, it would be a .375. He used the round for
brown bears, lions, and “one very large tiger.”
By many accounts, this cartridge kills more
effectively than the numbers indicate. It has certainly served me well. An early Winchester 70 with
a split wrist and a Redfield receiver sight dropped
my best bushbuck at some distance, through a tiny
shot alley. It rolled my best warthog 175 yards off.
It killed my first buffalo as well, at slingshot range
in heavy cover. I’ve since taken up with a Montana
1999 rifle, a Summit Alaskan in .375. Scoped with
a low-power Leupold, it has claimed buffalo and
assorted other heavies, including an eland at 200
yards that collected two Federal Trophy Bonded
bullets half an inch apart. This Montana, an
uncommonly agile rifle, killed a leopard at 11
yards in tall grass as I raced to the alarm yell from
my tracker. It tumbled my last buffalo like a shot
hare as the fatally hit bull raced past me in gather-

Clockwise from left: Ruger’s No. 1, available in both .375 H&H and .375 Ruger, derives from the British
Farquharson. The .375 H&H (top) appeared in 1912; the .375 Ruger has a short, beltless case and a ballistic edge. Kimber’s elegant Caprivi, with M70-style controlled-round feed action, drills sub-minute groups.

ing dusk. It is a go-to rifle, utterly reliable and
uncanny in the way it sends bullets where I look.

The Grand Experiment

You can lump bolt-action .375s into three price categories. I call them cheap, costly, and divorce.
Actually, there are no cheap rifles chambered in .375
H&H. The most affordable are still good rifles, and
they still will set your customers back about a grand.
These include the stainless, synthetic-stocked
Remington Model 700 XCR II, with iron sights and
adjustable X-Mark Pro trigger (Booth #14229). Its
TriNyte metal corrosion shield is a bonus.
Browning’s A-Bolt Medallion and Stainless
Stalker come in .375 (the latter also with lefthand
action), as does the X-Bolt Stainless Stalker (Booth
#12740). Priced from $990 to $1,240, they’re the
lightest commercial .375s I’ve found; the X-Bolt
scales just 6¾ pounds. On the heavy end, CZ lists
a 9¼-pound .375 Safari Magnum at $1,179, with
Kevlar-synthetic and laminate versions at $1,660
and $1,391 (Booth #16351). Not long ago on my
range, a CZ shot the smallest groups of four .375s.
Thank the hammer-forged barrel—and the
2¾-pound trigger. Setting it with a nudge forward
reduced the break to just 1 pound.
Winchester’s Model 70 (Booth #11929), with its
long receiver, Mauser extractor, and mechanical
ejector, is still a natural for the .375. The new
Safari Express has handsome, classic lines. It lists
for $1,350. Ruger and Hornady have given the
.375 H&H some competition with the shorter,
rimless .375 Ruger cartridge. The trim Model 77

26 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

Hawkeye African (walnut stock) and burly Alaskan
(in overmolded polymer) are bored for Ruger’s
.375 (Booth #11840). Both list at $1,095. The
9¼-pound, Farquharson-based Ruger No. 1 dropping-block Tropical Rifle comes in .375 H&H for
$1,242. Or pick the 7½-pound Medium Sporter in
.375 Ruger. Same price. A couple of Weatherby
Mark Vs (Booth #12729) chamber Holland’s .375:
the Fibermark ($1,469) and Synthetic ($1,305).
Not long ago you could find a flock of .375s in
the $2,000 to $3,500 range. Not so now. They’ve
been hijacked by the next category up. But
Kimber’s synthetic-stocked Talkeetna, at $2,108,
still qualifies (Booth #11762).
One of my favorite .375s is the Sako 85 Kodiak,
retailing for $1,975 (Booth #13956). Its profile
combines an easy flow of line with subtle brawn. It
is a gym rat in a tailored suit. Its 8-pound heft
seems to me ideal for a .375, and Sako got the balance perfect. The 21-inch barrel wears a barrelband swivel stud ahead of the laminated gray
stock. The shallow V-notch rear sight is windageadjustable, the sightline just high enough to match
that of a low-mounted scope. A hooded front
bead—big, white, and concave—won’t reflect light
off-center, but it’s quickly visible even to tired
eyes.
Sako’s 85 action has a three-lug bolt, a short but
stout extractor, and a mechanical ejector. A forward magazine release drops the box into your
hand. But the magazine must be pressed upward to
release the tab, preventing accidental magazine
drops. The magazine fits flush. Still, it holds four
.375 cartridges, and it can be loaded in the rifle.

f e at u r e

Top: Long, tapered, and slick-feeding, the .375 is
best served by rifles easy to top load fast (here, a
Sako). Bottom: Blaser’s R93 boasts compact,
straight-pull bolts and interchangeable barrels.

The trigger on my 85 breaks at a crisp 3 pounds,
an aid to field accuracy. One series of Federalloaded 260-grain AccuBonds from the bench left a
single hole. A close look showed that all three bullets had threaded it. No, I cannot shoot that well.
Evidently the Sako Kodiak can.
Toward the upper end of middle pricing, you’ll
find Kimber’s Caprivi, in fetching French walnut for
$3,196. An upgraded version with fancier wood and
a case-colored receiver costs more. The Caprivi’s
slight tilt to the muzzle helps tame recoil, and there’s
plenty of checkered wood up front to grasp. This
rifle has controlled-round feed and an excellent trigger. It shoots under an inch for me. Similar in many

ways is the Model 97 Dakota Deluxe Hunter. This
round-action bolt rifle is uncommonly svelte. At
$3,295, it’s entry-level by company standards. AllWeather and Outfitter takedown versions cost
$3,595 and $4,595, respectively. H-S Precision,
known for super-accurate rifles built from scratch,
sells a safari-style rifle called the PHR. It costs
$3,045 and incorporates a mercury recoil reducer.
For an extra $200 you can get a lefthand bolt.

For Deep Pockets Only

Divorce-level pricing puts you into lovely hardware indeed. You get not only figured French, but

Selling the Mystique
The .375 H&H Magnum has been chambered in the loveliest rifles, custom-built and from iconic commercial firms. Because best-quality
doubles cost as much as Hollywood weddings, bongo hunts, and
Austrian SUVs, most of the .375s in gun shops are bolt-actions. It’s no
trick persuading hunters to pick up a .375 that looks as if it belongs on
safari. Especially if it wears iron sights and a barrel-band swivel stud.
As shoppers can imagine themselves astride a galloping horse when
they flick the lever of a Winchester carbine, so they become Robert
Ruark, or “Pondoro,” or Frederick Courteney Selous when they hoist a
.375 with a quarter-rib.
Tugging customers from the dream onto a 4473 is easier if you pave

28 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

features like integral quarter ribs, flip-up front
sights, and those mercury kick-tamers. Dakota’s 76
ranks among my favorites (Booth #14229). It’s
essentially a Winchester M70 with refinements, fit
and finish New Haven could never afford. The
Safari lists for $7,195, the African for $800 more.
Both come in takedown (Traveler) versions, for
$8,395 and $9,495. I’ve used the Traveler and am
impressed by its strong, simple design as well as its
reliable return to zero. Dakota also lists two single-shots in .375. The Model 10 is the very definition of sleek. ($4,695). Miller’s exquisite droppingblock costs about $300 more. A Miller in .375
once gave me a ¾-inch group with open sights.
That’s as much a tribute to Lady Luck as to rifle
or load.
A rifle I’ve come to like a great deal is the
Blaser R8 (Booth #15153), progeny of the R93
(named for the years of introduction). These
German engineering marvels, from about $3,500,
have telescoping straight-pull bolts that trim overall length by a couple of inches. The virtually
weightless, compact magazine assemblies are cleverly nested with the trigger groups. (R8 innards
can be removed as a unit without tools.) A Blaser
bolt head locks with a collet engaging a circumferential groove in the barrel shank. The bolt-barrel
union can endure a thrust of 120,000 psi.
Blaser’s R93 and R8 cycle very fast. You run the
bolt with a flick of your hand. A thumb-piece cocks
the mechanism. Shove it up and forward, and
you’re ready to fire. To de-cock, push ahead and let
it return. The R93 and R8 are the only bolt-action
rifles you can carry safely at the ready. They’re not
cocked until you’re set to fire. Plasma nitriding
hikes the surface hardness of Blaser’s hammerforged, interchangeable barrels (in myriad chamberings, from .223 to .500 Jeffery). Straddle-style
scope rings fit so precisely, you can remove and
replace a scope without losing zero. As for stocks,
choose from several grades of Turkish walnut. Or
go for durability, with polymer.
Some costly .375s wear only synthetic stocks—
the $5,200 Pro Hunter from Brown Precision, for
instance. It’s on a Remington 700 action. The Pro
Hunter Elite, with a Winchester Model 70 core,
lists for $6,800. McMillan builds its superb Prestige
rifle to your order as well, for $6,325. If your
customers are of traditional bent, the Johannsen
Express Rifle is sure to seduce. Built around a
double square bridge magnum Mauser action, it
features a three-detent side-swing safety, a two-leaf
folding express sight in the rear and a 4mm hinged
bead paired with a fixed 2mm silver bead up front.
The walnut is conservatively sculpted and oilfinished. The $11,600 tag is just for starters.

the path. Maintain that link to history, with ammunition and accoutrements that match the .375’s mystique. You needn’t sell lots of Norma
African PH ammunition to stock a few boxes. They’re expensive, but the
packaging is a fitting tribute to the cartridge’s rich past. Hornady and
other companies also package ammo to emphasize the African connection. Leather cartridge belts and pouches, and clothing suitable for sundowners by the mopani fire, also work their magic, even if there’s no
zebra-skin on the counter. The .375 and its rifles are special largely
because they evoke another time and distant places and men of legendary hunting prowess. Ignore that, and you might as well stick to
MSRs. Lastly, invoke the recoil card: “You can fire this elephant gun without splitting your lip or losing your third molar.” And compare the price of
.375 ammo not with ’06 deer loads, but with that of the other heavy hitters. Say, the .505 Gibbs. At $125. For 10 rounds.

f e at u r e

Draw of the Dead

Shooting-scenario games are growing fast,
but in recent years zombie action has been
spreading like a pandemic By Larry Ahlman

DPMS Firearms began hosting its “Outbreak Omega”
zombie shoot a few years ago. It incorporates various
shooting scenarios, a costume contest, and more. As it
grows in popularity, it has begun drawing a younger crowd
more familiar with video games than traditional shooting.

W

hat’s a zombie? If you think it’s the creepy undead seen in horror movies walking disjointedly in search of a meal of fresh living flesh, well…you’re right, sort of. But you’d also be
right on target if you believe zombies are the basis of one of the fastest-growing shooting
sports since Gertrude Hurlbutt invented skeet.
Alternate and scenario shooting
games such as Cowboy Action and
3-Gun are gaining shooters across
the country at an incredibly fast clip.
Of particular note, these games tend
to attract young shooters who find
Five Stand, Skeet, and Trap far too
sedentary. These shooters like the
fast pace and action of 3-Gun or the
ability to wear period dress and
assume a character of the Old West
in Cowboy Action. Zombie shooters
are no different.
The good news for retailers is that
the typical zombie shooter tends to
be between 20 and 40. And though
the sport is dominated by men, a lot
Zombie shooting enthusiasts often
dress like survivors in an apocalyptic
wasteland, taking precautions to prevent infection by the walking dead.

30 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

of women are entering the ranks.
This is a huge new audience that
deserves your attention.
One of the manufacturers spearheading the sport is Minnesota-based
DPMS Firearms (Booth #14229). “A
few years ago, we wanted to hold a fun
shoot for our local fans,” says DPMS
product manager Adam Ballard. “We
decided to incorporate zombies and
named the event ‘Outbreak Omega.’
Just under 100 shooters and a handful
of spectators showed up that first year.
But it’s grown quickly. By the third
year, attendance was nearly 600. Now
we’re seeing between 700 and 800
shooters. It’s unbelievable.”

Driving Factors

What’s driving this market? Movies
are one element. Remember what

Dirty Harry did for .44 Magnum
handgun sales? Well, films such as
Zombieland, Zombie Apocalypse, and
Dawn of the Dead—and the surprising
success of the cable TV show The
Walking Dead—have spurred a huge
interest in the undead—and the firearms needed to keep them under
control. Noticeably absent from
these films are big stars like Clint
Eastwood, but what these movies
lack in star power is offset by the
sheer volume of releases. A recent
search of Netflix showed more than
60 full-length zombie movies available for streaming or rental.
Adding to the popularity is that the
violence seen in zombie movies
doesn’t seem to offend viewers.
When it comes to shooting targets
that feature “people,” you’ll always
find a few purists who take offense.
Some even object to Bin Laden and
Hitler targets. But it seems most
folks have a tough time finding a
compassionate place in their heart
for zombies. The prevailing attitude
seems to be, “Shoot ’em all. They’re
dead anyway.”
Another element pushing the pop-

f e at u r e

ularity is family participation. Early
events had few participants under the
age of 18, but that’s changing.
“Our first Outbreak Omega didn’t
have any shooters under the age of
18,” says Ballard. “But this year, the
‘Best Dressed’ award went to a
junior, a future shooter all decked
out in his Nerf gear!”
Any activity that involves the family should not only be taken seriously,
but seriously encouraged. And any
activity that draws in the younger
shooters should be welcomed with
open arms.
“We live in a different world
today,” says John Trull, vice president of product management and
marketing at Remington Arms. “Kids
have so many options to pursue in
their spare time. Like it or not, video
games are a real element we deal
with in terms of competing for their
time. The positive element here is

to excel. People come simply for the
pure joy of shooting.”
That sentiment is echoed by Trull.
“I believe people are drawn to a
zombie event first and foremost
because it’s fun. And it’s also an environment where they can participate
in 3-Gun-type activity without the
risk of feeling inferior in a competitive setting. I sincerely believe that
these type of fun shoots will serve as
a big draw for sanctioned 3-Gun
events as more folks get a taste for
the sport and want to take it to the
next level. Zombie could evolve into
one of the larger organized shooting
events within our market space.”

Course of Action

Because the various stages used in
zombie shoots require some degree
of imagination, one could call it scenario shooting. Much like Cowboy

zombies. Now imagine shooting
pop-up targets that are inside an
abandoned car (Auto of the Undead),
or attacking a zombie-infested island
while floating in a johnboat. Like
other scenario shooting, the more
realism a range operator can add, the
more shooters will enjoy it.
They’re also getting lots of help
from the target makers. Using movie-quality photography, Champion
Targets (Booth #14551) recently
introduced Visi-color technology to
make their zombie targets incredibly
lifelike. Birchwood Casey (Booth
#1210) recently unveiled a complete
new line of full-color splattering
zombie targets that retailers said simply flew off the shelves.
Brownell’s, the giant shootingsports parts supplier (Booth #805),
recently got into the game when it
launched “The Center For Zombie
Awareness” on its website. Hosted by

time, they are naturally going to
gravitate to the rifle platforms they
are familiar with. Just as lever-action
rifles grew in popularity in the early
1900s, and traditionally styled semiautos were adapted to hunting purposes after World War II, so will the
modern sporting rifle grow in popularity in the early 21st century.”
In addition to the proper assortment of firearms, a retailer should
also have a good supply of extra magazines, extended shotgun tubes, and
other add-ons, such as holsters, tactical gloves and kneepads, knives, and
lights. Zombie shooters go through a
lot of ammo, so make sure to maintain a large stock at good prices to
keep them coming back. (While
you’re at SHOT, check out
Hornady’s cleverly conceived and
packaged Zombie Max rifle and
handgun ammo. Booth #13145.) And
don’t forget targets. Some customers
find the new zombie targets so
attractive that they buy them just to
hang in their den.

Cash In on Clothing

Ranges can get creative in
setting up zombie shooting
scenarios; shooters, meanwhile, take their pick of
firearms to dispatch their
shambling, inhuman foes.

that many of these games have unintentionally created a new awareness
among young folks of the shooting
sports and the products offered.”
Zombie shooting events tend to
make a connection between these
electronic, fantasy-based games and
an actual outdoor activity.
Ballard agrees. “It’s a great way for
folks to experience shooting without
pressure to compete,” he says. “One
of the things about Outbreak Omega
that amazes people is that we don’t
keep score. Can you imagine attending a baseball or football game or a
trap or rifle shoot where no one kept
score? It’s unheard of, but that’s
exactly what we do, and hardly anyone complains. There’s no pressure

Action, participants dress the part
and act out the scenes using real
guns. The major difference is that
zombie hunters tend to dress military-style, and their firearms of
choice are handguns, shotguns, and
modern sporting rifles (MSRs).
In all honesty, the scenarios acted
out can be a bit bizarre to the uninitiated. Imagine getting locked in a
zombie jail cell, your handgun just
out of reach on a distant counter.
When the range officer yells, “Go,”
you reach through the bars and grab
a broom, which is used to hook the
key ring on the wall. The keys slide
down the handle, and once in your
hands you’re able to unlock the cell
door, grab your gun, and take on the

32 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

two employees, the site features
entertaining “zombie update” videos
as well as information on the products needed to combat an outbreak.

What to Stock

Typically, zombie shooters, like
3-Gun participants, end up with
three firearms—an MSR, a semi-auto
pistol, and a semi-auto tactical shotgun. The popularity of the MSR is
no surprise to Trull.
“More men and women today,
through their military experience and
service to our country, are trained to
the AR/MSR platform,” says Trull.
“As those folks fold recreational
shooting and hunting into their free

If you go to an Oakland Raiders
game, you’ll see fans dressed up like
pirates. In Green Bay, you’ll see
“Cheeseheads” walking around with
a block of cheese on their head. Ever
been to a Star Wars convention?
Tons of people are in character,
whether it’s Darth Vader, Leia, or
Chewbacca. Zombie hunters don’t
get quite that carried away, but they
do like to identify with their sport.
Shooter clothing runs the gamut
from street clothes to actual zombie
costumes. The most popular look
seems to be military style, decked out
with a wide array of gadgets and
accessories. Seeking more than the
standard military look, participants
add swords, bayonets, tomahawks,
and anything else that looks cool and
will fend off the ravenous, brainhungry undead.
While a few participants get a bit
crazy with their outfits, most zombie
hunters are serious about their choice
of gear. They know what they want
and talk it up online, telling fellow
shooters where they found it.
Correct zombie-hunting attire has
become important enough that an
after-hours fashion show has become
one of the highlights of Outbreak
Omega. Competing for prizes, contestants walk a runway much like at a
Miss America pageant, except they’re
decked out in full undead-apocalypse
couture. The intensity of audience
applause, measured by sound meter,
determines the winners.
The other winners, of course, are
the dealers that stock and sell this gear.
It stands to reason that savvy retailers
who attend the shoots, keep pace with
the latest in equipment and gear, and
learn the language of zombie hunters
will soon find their store becoming the
“in” place for consumers eager to
spend their (un)dead presidents.

f e at u r e

MSR shooting is increasing in
popularity in all sectors, and
women are no exception.
Competitive shooters like
Team FNH’s Dianna Liedorrf
are important role models.

The Untapped Opportunity

Women and the modern sporting rifle are a terrific combination, but
too many retailers are missing out By Brian McCombie

M

uffet Frische is in the market for a modern sporting rifle (MSR). She’s spent
many evenings scouring the Internet, researching models, options, and prices
for a .223 rifle that’s lightweight, handy, and—most of all—fun! Frische, 43, of
Dallas, Texas, found that fun last year at an MSR clinic hosted by DIVA WOW, a
woman’s outdoor sporting group. At the clinic, Frische and 125 other women were
introduced to the rifles and given safety instructions. Then, with the help of instructors, they fired off up to 150 rounds apiece.

“They were very user-friendly,” says Frische of
the rifles that DPMS Firearms provided for the
clinic. “I was incredibly surprised. I mean, they
look so big and scary, but shooting them was so
much fun. When I came home I told my husband,
‘I know what I want now!’”
Frische and the DIVAs aren’t the only ones getting an introduction to MSRs, the sales of which
have been strong of late. Undoubtedly, in the first
wave of heavy MSR sales (known as the “Obama
Bubble” because it occurred just prior to and after
the 2008 presidential election), men were the
dominant purchasers. The so-called second wave is
seeing more women entering the market.
“The last couple of years, the trend we’re seeing
is more recreational shooting of all sorts, MSRs
included,” says Adam Ballard, DPMS product
manager. “As the men do more recreational shooting, we find that they’re including their wives,
girlfriends, and daughters.”
And when women get a chance to fire one, says

Ballard, “they find the MSR is a really good fit. It’s
easy to operate and easy to handle, and it has little
recoil.”
Other retailers have seen the same thing. “We’ve
seen a steady increase in women interested in
MSRs since 2006,” says Jonathan Pirkle, owner of
Coal Creek Armory in Knoxville, Tennessee. “The
big swell in interest happened in early 2009, and
it’s been growing ever since. Right now, I’d say
we’re getting five to ten women a month coming
in and looking to buy an MSR.”
Miles Hall, owner of H&H Shooting Sports, an
NSSF-rated Five-Star Facility in Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, says, “We’re seeing more women coming into the store looking at MSRs. Also, our rifle
classes used to be all men. Now we have women in
every class, including our tactical rifles course,
Staffers from H&H Shooting Sports assist customers looking for an MSR. Women approach an MSR
purchase from a research-based point of view.

34 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

f e at u r e

where MSRs are the focus.”
But before you can cash in, you
must understand the nuances of this
market. Women, for example,
approach an MSR purchase from a
very research-based point of view.
They are very receptive to certain
sales techniques, and extremely put
off by others.

The First Stop

Market research done by DPMS finds
that relatively few women will just go
to a gun shop and “check out” some
MSR models. They want to know a

Coal Creek Armory.
“Ladies generally do a lot of
research before they come through
our doors,” says Pirkle. “They usually
have two to three models in mind,
plus possible accessories, and they
want to know our opinion of them.
Really, it’s pretty interesting. One customer drove up in a nice SUV with
two kids in tow and asked us the pros
and cons of a Bushmaster M4 A2.”
Pirkle recommends including MSR
listings on your shop’s webpage, if
you have one, and making those listings fairly detailed. The women he’s
assisted have clearly researched man-

“Stress the lighter weight of the
MSRs and the low recoil,” Hall recommends. “Nobody—man or
woman—likes to get kicked around
by recoil.”
Early-model MSRs could be somewhat heavy and bulky, at least for a
smaller-sized shooter. Today, though,
there are a number of nimbler rifles
available.
For example, the rifles used at the
DIVA clinic—the LBR by DPMS—
were made specifically with the
smaller-statured shooter in mind.
Frische, in fact, was especially
impressed by how well she could

Women are shooting—
and buying—MSRs in
ever-increasing numbers. A test-shoot can
be your most effective
salesman.

good deal about the rifles before they
set foot into a retail facility.
“Our research shows that a woman
interested in an MSR starts the process on the Internet, examining manufacturer and retailer websites,” says
Ballard. “Others post questions about
MSRs on their Facebook pages.”
Male customers, Pirkle notes, often
arrive at his shop with some preconceived opinions about the MSR
they’re sure they want. But as they
explain their needs, these same men
are quite willing to be sold on a
model that better fits their requirements. In effect, they’re counting on
the clerk for their initial research.
Not so with the women who come to

ufacturer websites and then compared and contrasted those models
with his shop’s online inventory.
Don’t have a shop website? Better
get one, Pirkle advises.

Stress Points

Even with a fair amount of research,
misconceptions about MSRs can linger, especially given a mainstream
media that keeps referring to MSRs
as “assault weapons.” One of the
notions this biased reporting creates
is that MSRs recoil like jackhammers. They don’t, of course, but you
shouldn’t assume your customers
know this. Tell them.

36 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

make the adjustable shoulder stock
on this model fit her frame.
“It was a smart move, in my opinion, when many in the industry went
to polymer-based extensions and
lighter metals, in an effort to make
these rifles more comfortable,” says
Hall. “That, I think, made MSRs
more ‘woman-friendly’ by default.”
Make sure you also highlight the
versatility of the MSR.
“You can hunt with many of the
MSRs, and that’s been a big help
with sales,” Hall says. “Women come
in looking for a hunting rifle, and
they’re often pleasantly surprised to
find out that an MSR is a real
option.”

No Accident

It’s pretty basic, but if you want to
sell MSRs to women, you have to
take women seriously as potential
MSR customers. Put another way,
that woman at your gun counter
looking over the MSRs on your rack?
She didn’t get there by accident.
Failure to take her and her questions
seriously could cost you a sale.
Consider Frische. After much
Internet research, Frische, her husband and a male friend visited a local
gun shop. At the counter, Frische
told the male clerk she was considering an MSR. Despite that, Frische
says, “When I asked about what
models they had, the sales associate
handed a rifle to our friend, who
looked at him and said, ‘Why are you
handing it to me? It’s for her!’”
Frische took it in stride and wasn’t
offended. “My guess is that their typical customer is male, so he just
wasn’t expecting me to be the customer,” she says. “After that, the
sales associate directed the conversation more toward me, and he took
time to explain product features.”
Dana Giacalone had a somewhat
different experience. An orthopedic
surgeon practicing in the Fort Worth
area, Giacalone grew up hunting and
shooting on a ranch in west-central
Texas. Last year, after deciding it was
time to replace her .243 bolt-action,
she visited a big-box firearms retailer
near her home.
Unlike Frische, Giacalone never
told the clerk she was in the market
for an MSR. In fact, she didn’t know
what she wanted, exactly, though she
said she needed a rifle for deer hunting and recreational shooting, and
maybe some competitive shooting.
“I said something a little more
sporty [than her .243], a little more
versatile,” she recalls. “But they kept
trying to get me to buy a small .22
rifle—for shooting paper targets!
Which, I tried to tell them, wasn’t
what I wanted at all.”
Frustrated, she left the store without making a purchase. She mentioned the experience to a friend who
held a federal firearms license. He
told her that the features she wanted
very much suggested an MSR. He
gave her an overview of the rifles,
showed her a couple he had on hand
and answered all her questions.
Today, Giacalone is the proud
owner of an MSR—one she bought
through her friend with the FFL.

The Voice

Deb and Bob Cheek have owned and
operated Plainfield Shooting
Supplies, in Plainfield, Indiana, for
the last 22 years. In addition, Deb
Cheek is a competitive shooter who
teaches numerous firearms workshops and classes to women. All of
this informs her perspective on what
it takes to sell MSRs to women.
A big problem she’s seen herself,
and heard about from numerous

f e at u r e

women shooters, is what she calls
“The Colonel Voice,” and the attitudes and assumptions behind it.
“A lot of times, a woman comes
into a gun shop, and the guy behind
the counter goes into the Colonel
Voice,” says Cheek. “It’s like a military order: ‘I know; you listen.’ Big
turnoff. Women just don’t feel
relaxed around those sorts of guys.”
Women find the Colonel Voice
patronizing, she explains. It assumes
they know nothing about shooting,
much less MSRs, and tries to make
them feel, well, dumb. Women treated this way tend to head for the door.
“Take more of a ‘daughter
approach,’” Cheek advises. “What I
mean is, don’t get macho and don’t
talk down. Treat a female customer
like your daughter: Listen to her, let
her talk, answer her questions, be
respectful. You’re there to help her.
Listen to what she wants, then make
suggestions.”

A Bird in the Hand...

“You want to see people’s face light
up?” says Hall. “Put an MSR in their
hands. It’s almost like a kid on
Christmas morning opening up presents!”
For the female customer, hands-on
shooting is a big sales tool. Given the
aforementioned worries about MSR
recoil, there’s no better way to dispel

Connect with a
Women’s Group

A good way to get women interested in your shop’s MSRs is to
establish a relationship with a local women’s outdoors group. Such
groups are popular, and they frequently host one-day workshops
that introduce women to firearms.
Consider becoming a workshop sponsor. Donate the use of a used
MSR or two and some ammunition. An employee with the right certifications can act as an instructor. Set up a table, distribute some
business cards, and get listed in the workshop brochure. The women
at the workshop will learn that MSRs are fun and easy to shoot—and
that your shop sells them!

that myth than to let a potential customer put a few rounds downrange.
Coal Creek Armory has an indoor
range, and Tuesday is Ladies’ Day, at
which women can shoot without lane
fees. That generates a good deal of
traffic, Pirkle notes, and among the
firearms available is an M&P15 in
.22 caliber. Women can fire it for
free (they have to pay for the ammunition), and this M&P15 gets a good
workout nearly every Tuesday. All by
itself, the rifle has generated many
inquiries from women thinking about
buying their own MSR.
Joe Keffer owns the Sportsman’s
Shop, in New Holland, Pennsylvania.
He sells a good number of MSRs,
mostly to men. Nearly all the women
who have purchased an MSR from

Keffer had husbands or boyfriends
who first bought one from the
Sportsman’s Shop—so these women
got their introduction to MSRs via
their significant others.
Other women, though, “hear that
these are super-powerful rifles, and
they are leery of them, no doubt
about it,” Keffer says. “The primary
way of getting past that is to have
them fire one and see for themselves.” The Sportsman’s Shop hosts
introductory firearms events at a
local shooting club, and more and
more women have been attending.
Hearing about the increased interest
among women in MSRs, Keffer says
that he needs “to make sure we have
several MSRs there and offer women
the chance to try them out. Doing so

might not sell us any rifles right away,
but we’re already having these events.
It could help sales down the road.”

Counter Help

If you want to sell more MSRs to
more women, you really should have
a woman behind the sales counter.
Ballard notes that DPMS research
shows that a lack of female sales help
is a big barrier to selling firearms in
general, and MSRs in particular, to
women. Many women seem hesitant
to ask the guy behind the counter
about MSRs, afraid of being talked
down to. Even if they don’t deal
directly with a female clerk, just seeing one working in your store reassures female customers that they, and
their questions, will be taken seriously.
“It definitely does make a difference to a number of our female customers to have a woman behind the
counter,” says Pirkle. “We have tried
to have at least one woman on our
sales staff since we opened in 2002.
Sometimes, we’ve been fortunate
enough to have two or three women
on staff at one time.”
Consider a female clerk or two as
an investment in the future. As
Giacalone says, speaking about
women in general, “We’re going to
be doing more and more hunting and
shooting in the future. So firearms
retailers better be ready for us!”

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Making a Difference

NSSF’s PAC helps support the industry and the Second Amendment
By Rob Staeger

“Y

ou called at a good time,” says Lawrence G. Keane,
general counsel for the NSSF and treasurer for the
NSSF PAC. The PAC just received another contribution, a check from a CEO of one of the industry’s best-known
companies. “It literally came in five minutes ago.”

Established in April 2010, the NSSF
Political Action Committee (PAC) is a
separate (though affiliated) organization to the NSSF, subject to different
restrictions under federal election law.
It’s the hand at the end of the NSSF’s
political arm, and that hand is holding
a wallet. PACs are allowed to write
direct contributions to candidates run-

time.” (FEC records show that the
anti-gun Brady Campaign Voter
Education Fund raised only $7,502
in 2009–2010.)
While PACs are able to expressly
endorse a candidate in advertising
(something the NSSF can’t do), federal election law prohibits it from coordinating its message with the candi-

that are pro-industry, pro-sportsman,
pro-Second Amendment,” says
Keane. It mirrors the mission of the
NSSF as a whole—to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the
shooting sports.
And so far, the PAC has an excellent track record. Of the seven candidates the PAC supported who ran in
the general election in 2010, five won
or remained in their Senate or House
seats. The candidates the PAC supported with contributions in 2010 sit
on both sides of the aisle, and included Max Baucus, Ken Buck, Mike

ning for federal office, which is something that the NSSF, as a corporation,
cannot do. That makes the PAC a
potential game-changer.
“It’s an important part of our overall government relations efforts,
which will grow in importance as the
PAC grows,” says Keane. In its inaugural year it raised $10,600. “That’s
more money than the Brady
Campaign raised during the entire
election cycle, and the Brady
Campaign has been around for some

date’s campaign. But with the NSSF
as a whole, it’s completely in synch.
“It’s an affiliated PAC, run by the
NSSF,” says Keane. “NSSF provides
the logistical support for the PAC
and pays the administrative expenses
of the PAC as part of the government relations budget.”
The NSSF PAC is a nonpartisan
political action committee registered
with the Federal Election
Commission. “We contributed to
candidates running for federal office

Crapo and Harry Reid in the Senate,
and John Culberson, Ron Kind, Paul
Ryan and Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
in the House. All of these officials,
from both parties, have stood up as
pro-gun, pro-sportsmen leaders.
“Although it wasn’t intentional, the
contributions were fairly evenly divided between Republicans and
Democrats,” says Keane. “That was
not a consideration in deciding to
whom to make a contribution. It’s
important for folks to understand that

NSSF Gears Up for 2012 Voter Education Efforts
Prepare to get schooled. Every two years since the 2000 presidential
elections, the NSSF has been engaging in a voter education campaign
in each federal election. The 2012 elections will be no different.
“It’s all part of the NSSF’s government relations effort,” says Lawrence
G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for the NSSF.
“The voter education campaign is just that: Educating gun owners,
sportsmen, and hunters about the position or the stance of candidates
on firearms, hunting, shooting, and the Second Amendment, particularly in regard to hot-button issues such as firearms microstamping and
protecting traditional ammunition from EPA jurisdiction. We seek to
provide hunters, sportsmen and gun owners with information on where
candidates stand on issues that matter to them so they can decide for
themselves how to cast their ballot.”
The NSSF does this through a variety of means, including direct mail

40 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

the NSSF is a trade association for
the industry, and as far as our government relation efforts go, we are a
single-issue advocacy group. We don’t
exist to advance other issues, like
taxes, unless it has to do with our
industry. Some people have a negative
view of Senator Reid because of his
policy position on other issues or his
position as leader of the Democrats in
the Senate. That is irrelevant to us.
All we care about is our issue, and on
our issue Senator Reid has been a very
good friend to the industry and gun
owners and sportsmen.”
In fact, in 2010, Reid allowed H.R.
5552, the Firearms Excise Tax
Improvement Act, to reach the
Senate floor (where it was passed
unanimously). He also introduced
legislation enhancing access to public
lands for hunting, fishing and recreational shooting.
For 2011, the PAC is expanding its
scope. “We had a goal to reach more
than 50 members, and we exceeded
it,” says Keane. “We’re very limited
as to who we can solicit for contributions to the PAC. We can basically
talk about the existence of the PAC
and that we have a PAC, but we can’t
go ask everyone to make contributions to it. We can accept unsolicited
contributions from just about anybody, but it has to be individuals. It
has to be personal checks; it can’t be
corporate donations.”
The 50-contributor goal was an
important one. It now qualifies the
organization to become what’s known
as a multi-candidate PAC, increasing
the amount of money that it’s legally
allowed to contribute to each candidate. Meeting the goal puts the PAC
in a very strong position as the 2012
election season begins in earnest.
“Our goal is to have a Congress that
is supportive of our issues and our
concerns,” says Keane.
If interest in the NSSF PAC is any
indication, that should be the case
for a long time to come.

and hosting a website that serves as a resource for hunters, sportsmen,
and gun owners. “We provide information, polling data, and news articles about the candidates—particularly as it relates to issues we care
about,” says Keane.
New for the 2012 election cycle, the NSSF will utilize social media
tools to promote voter education. These efforts are helped when people
spread the word. “Retailers can take the information on our website and
make it available at their checkout counter,” says Keane. “Fortunately,
the election is in the fall—the hunting season—and so these issues are
on many people’s mind when they visit their local firearms retailer. We
encourage retailers to reach across the checkout counter and help educate their customers on the candidates’ stances on our issues.”
Knowledge is power, after all—and the NSSF wants to put that power
in your hands.

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When SHOT Show
Attendees Speak…
The NSSF Listens

More new exhibitors and a renewed focus
on core categories define the 2012 SHOT Show
By Cathy Glazer
NSSF senior vice
president and chief
marketing officer Chris
Dolnack shows off
the redesigned SHOT
Mobile app, one of
many improvements
you’ll notice at this
year’s SHOT Show.

Y

ou spoke…and the National Shooting Sports Foundation heard you. To succeed
in today’s tough, competitive marketplace, it’s more important than ever to listen
to your customers. For the NSSF, the owners of the SHOT Show, that means
you—attendees and exhibitors. As NSSF senior vice president and chief marketing officer Chris Dolnack likes to put it, “Listening to 57,000 of our closest friends.”
Some of the improvements to the show that
resulted from your feedback will be obvious to you
today: wider cross aisles, improved lighting, more
break areas with chairs, and more food vendors.
You’ll also no doubt notice better cell-phone
reception and more charging stations scattered
throughout the show floor—results of a $1.2 million investment by The Sands to upgrade its wireless infrastructure.
With better service, the SHOT Mobile app,
which has been improved for this year, will become
a must-have tool for navigating the show floor,
finding new products, learning about show specials
and setting up appointments. It’s sponsored this
year by rifle manufacturer ArmaLite, which joins
GunBroker.com, Outdoor Channel, and Budweiser
as a major industry sponsor of the show.
You may also notice brick-and-mortar improvements—including new tile, carpeting and sprucedup restrooms—that are part of second phase of
The Sands’ remodeling plan. But the most significant improvement, the one that will add the most
value to your SHOT Show experience, is what
Dolnack calls the “repurposing” of the show floor.
“We’re refocusing on our core exhibitors—​
firearms, ammunition, optics, hunting and shooting accessories, and law enforcement,” Dolnack
said. “That effort will help us get more new blood,
more new exhibitors in those core areas, off the
waiting list and onto the show floor.”
To accomplish this, ten long-time large exhibitors
voluntarily reduced their booth space, freeing up
about 10,000 square feet. “We have a waiting list of
hundreds of new companies in our core areas, and
we need to find ways to get these new people in,”
Dolnack said. “Because that’s what our attendees
want to see—they want to see what’s new and what

unique products they can offer in their store that
differentiates them from the big-box stores.”
Attendee feedback drove the effort. “Some
retailers were telling us they only attend the
SHOT Show every third year or so, because they
felt there was so little turnover in exhibitors,”
Dolnack said. “Thanks to the repurposing effort,
this SHOT Show will have more new exhibitors
than any SHOT Show in recent memory.”
The show is also gaining a more international
flavor, which will be even more noticeable by next
year, says Diedra Cauley, NSSF director of exhibitions and conferences. “We are making a concerted effort to recruit international buyers. We have
registered for a U.S. Department of Commerce
program that will help us recruit retailers that fit
our profile for the show. We want to reach out to
other economies—for example, Brazil, which is
booming right now. This year we have fifty retailers coming from Brazil.”
Through social media and the Internet, Cauley
says, “we’re doing more listening to our attendees
and exhibitors than ever. We get feedback from
live chats on the Internet, blogs and Twitter.”
Even so, there’s still plenty of old-fashioned facetime at industry conferences throughout the year.
“The SHOT Show is the Super Bowl of the industry,” says Dolnack. “It’s also the largest single gathering of outdoor media—2,074 were credentialed
last year. The show sets the tempo for the whole
year. We are responsible for keeping it vibrant, relevant, and sustainable—and we take that responsibility very seriously. We listen to our customers.”
Have feedback you’d like to share? Dolnack and
Cauley may be reached at cdolnack@nssf.org and
dcauley@nssf.org. You can also follow them on
Twitter (@chrisdolnack and @dcauley).

oogle “shooting facilities magazines” and you’ll get just one dedicated to
shooting range management—NSSF’s The Range Report. As the official voice
for NSSF, it’s the trade magazine for shooting range and gun club managers and
officers.
For any business with a product or service for
shooting ranges, this publication offers a uniquely
targeted ad buy that reaches more than 10,500 decision-makers at public and private shooting ranges
and gun clubs. Pass-along readership adds another
30,000 range employees, customers and friends.
Over the past decade, The Range Report has established itself as one of the most relevant and trusted
publications for shooting facility managers and gun
club officers. Articles by well-known writers and
specialists on the NSSF staff and technical advice
from special consultants address the spectrum of
challenges range owners and managers face, from
attracting new shooters to being good stewards of
the environment. Reports on new products, news
for the shooting range community and how-to features round out the magazine’s offerings.
“Our goal is to help the range community operate more professionally and profitably, to be more
environmentally sound and legally compliant, and
to provide the best recreational experience for
their customers and members,” said Glenn Sapir,
NSSF director of editorial services, who has served
as the magazine’s editor for more than eight years.
Feedback Sapir receives would indicate the magazine is doing its job.
“One of the most gratifying parts of my SHOT
Show experience every year has been the dinner
meeting with our NSSF Range Advisory
Committee,” Sapir said. “The Range Report benefits
from their guidance as professionals from the
range community. They’re also readers, and the
comments we get are very good. It’s one magazine
they say they read from cover to cover.”
A readership survey underscores reader satisfaction. According to the survey, 87 percent of the
magazine’s readers are very satisfied/satisfied overall
with the magazine’s content, and 92 percent gave its
ads high marks—excellent to good. Each issue has a
long shelf life, the survey found. Nearly 6 in 10
readers keep past issues for reference, and 8 out of
10 make issues available to others—staff, members/
customers, family, friends and investors.
“Current issues also appear on the NSSF website, and past issues are accessible there, too,” said

Ann Siladi, the magazine’s advertising director.
In addition to the 10,500 subscribers, the survey
found there’s an average of 3.8 readers per issue,
putting readership at an impressive 30,000-plus. The
Range Report is published quarterly and is distributed
to more than 7,500 shooting facilities nationwide. It
is available to anyone online in the Shooting section
of the NSSF’s website. Advertising rates range from
$1,650 for a full-page back cover, to $555 for a onesixth page one-time ad, and include insertion in the
magazine’s online version as well as the print publication. Discounts are given for multiple insertions.
There is no extra charge for color ads.
A media kit including demographic information,
the 2012 editorial calendar, ad rates and sizes, and
an insertion order form may be downloaded from
the Shooting section of NSSF’s website (nssf.org/
ranges). Look for The Range Report.
Advertisers include industry icons such as Ruger,
Glock, Savage Range Systems, Champion, and
Winchester. Business services specializing in
shooting ranges and retail operations, such as
Business Control Systems Corp., as well as various
insurers and companies that deal with lead and
sound management, are also frequent advertisers.
A regular feature, “Options and Innovations,”
spotlights various products of interest to range
managers and consumers. Regular offerings
include “Q&A,” in which range owners and other
professionals respond to questions; “Real-Life
Scenario,” detailing ranges’ experiences in various
situations; and “Undercover Shooter,” a report
from a writer who visits two similar ranges anonymously and evaluates their operation in a variety
of customer-satisfaction categories.
Here at the SHOT Show, potential advertisers
have a rare opportunity to meet face-to-face with
the magazine’s advertising director, Ann Siladi, and
editor, Glenn Sapir, to explore how The Range
Report can enhance their marketing program—and
get a special “thank you” present for their interest
while supplies last. Contact the Press Room or
stop by to set up a meeting. Comments or suggestions? Contact Glenn Sapir at gsapir@nssf.org or
Ann Siladi, asiladi@nssf.org.

f e at u r e

The NSSF provides instructional and financial
support to college shooting
teams via its
Collegiate
Shooting Sports
Initiative, helping
youth shooters
as they become
the next generation of outdoor
leaders.

Collegiate Shooting
Sports Initiative
NSSF support brings collegians to
the firing line By David Draper

T

hanks to NSSF’s Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative, classes and classmates aren’t the only things broadening students’
horizons on college campuses around the country. Formed
in 2009, the program is designed to foster grassroots development
of shooting-sports programs at universities and colleges, as well as
provide opportunities for graduates of the Scholastic Clay Target
Program to participate at the collegiate level.

“As our Scholastic Clay Target
shooters were graduating, they were
asking what other shooting opportunities were available,” said Zach Snow,
manager of shooting promotions for
the NSSF. “With the development of
the Collegiate Shooting Sports
Initiative, we can help support those
shooters as well as all students who
are interested in learning more about
or competing in shooting sports.”
By raising awareness of and providing both financial and nonfinancial support for shooting sports
opportunities, the CSSI hopes to
grow collegiate shooting sports by 20
percent by 2014—a modest goal if
the 43rd Annual Intercollegiate Clay
Target Championship is any indication. This past year’s event, held in
March 2011, hosted 439 students
from 50 schools, double the number
of attendees from just three years
ago.
More than 100 schools have active
shooting clubs, and that number is
climbing thanks to the initial support
of the CSSI, which offers detailed
materials for starting a club, in addition to financial backing for new and
existing clubs.
“The grant program is a big booster,” said Snow. In its first year of providing grant money to collegiate
shooting clubs, the CSSI awarded
about $90,000 in grant funding. That
number more than doubled the following year, when 40 different programs enjoyed $200,000 in support.
For the 2011/12 school year, the initiative is offering up to $300,000 for
schools to implement, expand and sustain their shooting-sports programs.
Just like in big-time athletics, success among shooting clubs can be

measured by the intensity of intercollegiate rivalries, of which there is
none bigger than that between Yale
and Harvard. Shooting clubs at both
schools, along with MIT, Tufts, and
Northeastern, compete annually for
the recently adopted traveling trophy, the New England Clays Cup.
Collegiate shooting sports are also
enjoying a boom in Florida, where
up to 12 different colleges, including
noted rivals Florida State and the
University of Florida, are working to
develop shotgun, rifle, and pistol
clubs, in the hope of competing in
regional competitions. Success in the
Sunshine State can be traced to Level
3 Shooting Instructor David Dobson,
whose interest in forming a shooting
program at Jacksonville University
led to a curriculum course on an
introduction into wingshooting.
And it’s not just shotguns that are
engaging students, but rifles and pistols, as well. Across the country,
clubs are developing well-rounded
shooting programs covering all disciplines. In particular, steel target
shooting is enjoying increased interest among younger shooters, who,
used to the fast pace and instant gratification of video games, can relate to
the speed of interactive target shooting. This year, for the first time, the
NRA Intercollegiate Pistol
Championships at Fort Benning will
also include a Scholastic Steel
Challenge Collegiate Championship.
College offers students a world of
opportunities to try new experiences.
By helping to develop these shooting
clubs, the NSSF’s Collegiate
Shooting Sports Initiative is not only
helping young shooters, but also nurturing the industry’s future leaders.

46 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

For the People,
By the People

75 years ago, American sportsmen established a farsighted—
and self-imposed—conservation
funding mechanism By David Draper

A

sk the average man on the street, “Who pays for wildlife
conservation?” As an answer, most likely all you’ll get is a
blank stare. When you tell that same person that hunters
and shooters are the primary financiers of the conservation
movement, you’ll probably be met with disbelief. But it’s true.
Nearly 80 percent of the funds used to protect and conserve
wildlife in America come through hunting license fees and, most
importantly, self-imposed excise taxes on firearms and ammunition sales through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act,
which is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year.

Better known as PittmanRobertson, after bill sponsors
Nevada Senator Key Pittman and
Virginia Congressman Absalom
Willis Robertson, the Wildlife
Restoration Act was passed in 1937
at the urging of farsighted hunters
and shooters who saw a need to conserve and protect dwindling numbers
of wildlife. Pittman-Robertson established a 10 percent tax on firearms
and ammunition, with all funds generated to be distributed
to the states for use on
wildlife restoration,
habitat management,
hunter education, and
shooting range management. The tax has since been
raised to 11 percent on long guns
and ammunition—and expanded to
include archery equipment.
Since its enactment, PittmanRobertson has been a resounding
success and a basis for federal-state
cooperation. Conservation efforts
funded by the act are responsible for
rebuilding wildlife populations that
were threatened in the early part of
the 20th century. For example, in
1937, the state of Missouri had a
three-day deer season in which just
108 deer were killed. Fast forward

to 2010, when hunters in the ShowMe State enjoyed a 125-day deer
season and bagged 295,000 deer.
But it’s not just hunters who benefit from Pittman-Robertson. The
nearly $1 billion annually generated
by the excise tax supports non-game
species and their habitat as well.
“Hunters and shooters put their
money where their mouths, and
hearts, are,” said NSSF president
Steve Sanetti. “It’s not just a case of
the user pays and the
user benefits, but the
user pays and everybody benefits. It’s a very
unselfish act and, as
hunters and shooters,
we should all be very proud of that.”
For the people, by the people. It’s
the foundation not only of our country, but also of the North American
Wildlife Model of Conservation. For
75 years, hunters and shooters have
voluntarily carried the financial burden for wildlife management, while
the rest of the country has enjoyed
their efforts. The anniversary of
Pittman-Robertson marks a good
time to celebrate that fact and
change the way the average man on
the street views hunters and gun
enthusiasts. Visit wsfr75.com.

The Original Green Movement

Many people think “being green” is a modern concept, but hunters
and shooters have been giving back to the environment for at least
75 years. Sportsmen contribute more than $2.7 billion annually—or
$7.5 million each day—to conservation. And when it comes to the
economy, the shooting sports industry supports 183,000 jobs and
has an overall economic impact of nearly $28 billion.
The fact that hunters and shooters not only pay for conservation,
but also contribute billions to the economy, might be the greatest
story never told, if not for the efforts of the NSSF. The organization’s Original Green Movement campaign serves to let legislators
and the public know that, without hunting and the shooting sports,
American wildlife would suffer. Through a series of advertisements,
posters and fliers directed at lawmakers, the NSSF is making sure
our elected officials know just who is paying the bills for conservation—America’s hunters and shooters. Visit nssf.org/HunterGreen.

f e at u r e

The National Shooting
Sports Foundation
celebrated its 50th
anniversary with a
panoramic cake and a
commemorative coin…
and continued its
mission to promote,
protect, and preserve
the shooting sports.

A Mighty Milestone
50 years ago, a small group of visionaries laid
the foundation for what is now a powerful
voice for the shooting sports By David Draper

F

rom the crafters of the Constitution to the fathers of conservation, a great number of wise individuals have worked to preserve and protect the fundamental
rights and outdoor opportunities we all enjoy today. Among that esteemed group
are the attendees of the Second National Conference on the Shooting Sports, who, in
1961, voted unanimously to found the National Shooting Sports Foundation in
response to growing threats to the future of hunting and firearms ownership.

Wasting no time, the NSSF immediately went
to work toward its original mission to create a better public understanding of and a more active participation in the shooting sports. In the 1960s, the
organization worked with notable Hollywood
celebrities—including Bing Crosby and Slim
Pickens—to promote safe, responsible firearm use
and tell the story of the hunter-conservationist. In
1972, the NSSF kicked off National Hunting and
Fishing Day, which still enjoys avid participation.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, efforts such as
Step Outside, the Scholastic Clay Target Program,
NSSF’s Chevy Trucks Shooting Sports America on
ESPN, and the formation of the Women’s Shooting
Sports Foundation, all helped introduce shooting
sports to a whole new group of Americans.
As the voice of a unified shooting, hunting, and
outdoor industry, the NSSF succeeded in not only
creating an awareness of hunting and the shooting
sports, but also in protecting them. When the firearms industry was facing its greatest threat, the
NSSF worked with the NRA to help pass the 2005
Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, prohibiting frivolous lawsuits to hold manufacturers
responsible for criminal misuse of their products.
Other NSSF initiatives include Project Childsafe,
which has distributed more than 35 million gun
locks, and the Don’t Lie For The Other Guy campaign, warning straw purchasers of firearms about
the consequences of their actions.
Of all these successes, the NSSF is perhaps most
proud of its role in creating the Shooting, Hunting,
and Outdoor Trade Show, or SHOT as it’s known
to its nearly 60,000 attendees. The overwhelming
success of the SHOT Show, which had its humble
start in 1979 with 4,700 attendees, provides the
NSSF with industry backing and financial support
for many of the organization’s most important and
successful outreach campaigns.
The 2011 SHOT Show was the perfect venue to

kick off the NSSF’s recent 50th Anniversary celebration. The year-long party started off among the
members, friends and peers at the State of the
Industry Dinner, with the debut of the NSSF’s
50-Year Anniversary video, narrated by Alan Sklar,
and book, written by past NSSF President Doug
Painter. Later, a cake-cutting ceremony and reception in the NSSF Press Room was a token of gratitude for all the shooting and outdoor media has
done to help the NSSF’s efforts.
The NSSF used the anniversary as a platform to
inform and educate its members, the media and the
public about its mission and what the organization
has accomplished. The award-winning video has
been viewed by thousands across the country at
writer organizations and at a dedicated website
(nssf.org/50), where it is available along with a digital copy of the history book, and other information. The NSSF staff celebrated with a time capsule dedication at NSSF headquarters in Newtown,
Connecticut, to preserve a snapshot of where our
industry was in 2011.
“Celebrating our fifty-year anniversary with our
history publication, video and time-capsule project
helped raise awareness about NSSF and all that it
has accomplished over the years to promote, protect, and preserve hunting and shooting,” says
NSSF president Steve Sanetti. “It was a fun project for all of us. I believe it helped many people,
especially those new to our industry, better understand what NSSF does for them.”
Promote, protect, preserve—these three words
have defined the organization and its efforts over
half a century… and will continue to do so for at
least another 50 years, as challenges to our sporting traditions and our firearms freedoms continue.
“The NSSF will adapt, as it always has, to meet
those challenges,” says Sanetti. “Starting this year,
we begin a new history, which I expect to be filled
with success.”

f e at u r e

Brand recognition is enhanced
by companysponsored
shooting teams
participating in
public events,
such as these
members of
Team Smith &
Wesson taking
part in a
competition.

arketing has always been about getting people not only
to like your product, but also to feel good about using it.
You want people on your “team.” In the shooting industry, the team concept works on two levels. In order to get more
customers that are loyal to the product and feel connected to the
team, these businesses actually promote the team concept from
the top down, choosing representatives from the shooting sports
as team members.

Team FNH USA

Team FNH’s co-captain of its 3-Gun
team, Tasha Hanish, says the company
sponsors a team because it ultimately
helps sales. “Having the FNH USA
team has helped customers know more
about our products. There is more
product recognition out there due to
3-Gun Nation, our websites, and personal and team Facebook pages.
People are able to meet with us oneon-one and try our products as well as
learn about them. In fact, one of our
distributors told me it makes it easier
to sell our products now that people
have a knowledge base about them.”
Not all team members are professional shooters. FNH recently added
country singer Mark Wills to its
team. “Mark does a great deal to
build the shooting sports. He also
supports our troops, as well as a
number of affiliated charities such as
the USA Cares Wounded Warrior
Project and Operation Troop Aid,”
says Ken Pfau, senior vice president
of law enforcement and commercial

sales. “Adding Mark to our shooting
team is indicative of what our team is
becoming, and it helps define who
we are as an organization.” Booth
#13462. (800-635-1321; fnhusa.com)

Team Smith &
Wesson

“For the company, having shooters
showcase Smith & Wesson at ranges
throughout the United States, and
even internationally, is very valuable,” says team captain Julie Golob.
“The qualities the shooters bring to
the table—such as personality, inspiration, capability—combined with all
the things people look for from
Smith & Wesson in quality, reliability, and customer service, give people
confidence in choosing, buying, and
using Smith & Wesson products.”
Golob’s Smith & Wesson M&P,
with an interchangeable palmswell
grip, is available in pink (a donation
from each sale goes to a breast cancer awareness charity). It is an exam-

50 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

ple of a team member’s stellar repuour products in competition becomes
tation connecting with a product that a very meaningful and effective
the public desires.
endorsement. It also serves as a great
“When the company considers
public relations element that puts real
potential shooters, it goes beyond just names and faces to Benelli USA.”
how well candidates can pull a trigIn agreement with Coogan is
ger,” Golob says.
Stephen McKelvain,
“Smith & Wesson
Benelli USA’s vice
team members are
president of marketmore than just talenting and communicaed champions; they
tions. “The 3-Gun
“Having the
are great people.”
sport is rapidly evolvFNH USA
Golob says that when
ing, and more and
considering team
more people are jointeam has
members, the compaing the ranks every
helped
ny looks for four
day. More than ever
attributes. First, are
before, it is important
customers
the shooters volunthat Benelli as a brand
know more
teers at their local
is involved with this
range? Second, are
sport so customers
about our
they loyal to the
can see firsthand the
products.”
company? Third, do
benefits of Benelli’s
they help promote
innovative technoloshooting sports and
gies. We’re really
firearms safety?
pleased to be involved
Fourth, can they
in the 3-Gun sport
shoot well, but also understand the
with a group of shooters who are wonimportance of sportsmanship?
derful ambassadors for the shooting
“Prospective members also need to
sports, the Benelli brand, and the
understand that, with the blue shirt
shooting industry as a whole.”
and Smith & Wesson logo, team
According to Coogan, Benelli’s
members are role models for future
3-Gun Team members must be “talshooters,” she says. Booth #10962.
ented, skillful, capable, presentable,
(800-331-0852; smith-wesson.com)
and ‘camera ready.’” Although the
team is at full roster, Coogan says, “If
someone qualifies as an experienced
Team Benelli
competitor and is placing consistently
When asked about the benefits of pro- in competition, he or she can submit
moting a company team, Joe Coogan,
credentials, videos, photos, or other
brand marketing manager for Benelli
pertinent information to our marketUSA, says, “The stresses and pressures ing department.” Booth #13256.
of serious competition serve as the
(800-264-4962; benelliusa.com)
ultimate field test for any product. For
a team of top shooters who consistently place high in competition, they con- Otis Technology’s
sider equipment failure unacceptable.
Pro Staff Team
So, in the eyes of consumers, use of
According to Cara Peebles, corporate

f e at u r e

The All-Around
Rifle Is Here
Photo By Yamil Sued

There is very little that Ruger’s
Gunsite Scout can’t handle
By David E. Petzal
The recognition that team members (such as
Team FNH) receive helps retailers sell product. It
builds a personal relationship with the brand.

PR and community relations coordinator for
Otis Technology, “There is nothing better than
having the best shooters in the industry promote the Otis brand. True testimonials and
endorsements from everyone’s ‘favorite shooter’
are the highest form of flattery.”
Peebles notes that Otis is a family-oriented
company with strong core values. Therefore, it
equates adding a pro-staff team member to hiring a new employee.
Twin biathletes Tracy and Lanny Barnes, and
their quest to compete in the 2014 Olympics in
Russia, add an interesting element to the lineup. If these women—who rely on having clean
guns to shoot accurately fast—use Otis products, then why wouldn’t an average recreational
shooter want these products?
“More important than talent and shooting ability is integrity, mutual respect, community focus,
commitment to and from each other, and customer commitment and focus. It’s who the pro
staffer is as a person that resonates with Otis.”
Peebles says that Otis is not looking for new
members for its pro staff team, but it is focusing
on promoting the current staff. She says it is
looking for new field staff members to help
promote Otis on the grassroots level.
Booth #14213. (315-348-4300; otistec.com)

Leupold & Stevens

Team shooting is lot like car racing. The
aforementioned companies in effect sponsor a
“car.” But there’s another way to go—sponsor
a driver, and this is the course Leupold has
elected to follow.
“We abandoned the team concept last year, in
favor of individual shooters,” says Tim
O’Connor, law enforcement sales manager. “It
struck me at the matches that very few groups
of shooters came across as teams like Team
FNH.”
He notes that matching shirts, gear, and consistent messages make the aforementioned
teams notable. “To have a team, we would need
to own the shirts, which can cost a lot of
money, and there needs to be a consistency
among the shooters.”
He feels sponsoring individual shooters is
more cost-effective. “Doing so gives us the flexibility to have several levels of sponsorship.
Currently we have Key Sponsored Shooters,
Team Sponsored Shooters, Practical Sponsored
Shooters, and Junior Sponsored Shooters.
These folks really shake the product out.”
O’Connor says he looks for “sportsmanship”
in prospective Leupold shooters. Presently, sponsorship candidates are recommended by current
Leupold shooters. Booth #13023; Tactical
Optics: #11962. (503-646-9171; leupold.com)

U

nlike most gun writers who are forgotten a half hour after they’re
flung into pauper’s graves, Jeff Cooper will be remembered. He
changed American handgunning and defense shooting, founded the
first practical-shooting academy (Gunsite), and created the Scout rifle, which
is his idea of what an all-around rifle should be. It was, he said, a rifle that
was to be used by a skilled soldier or a hunter—one who believed in getting
the job done with one shot.

The first Scouts were made in the
late 1970s at the Gunsite Armory,
and over the years, a standard model
emerged. It was a short bolt-action
in .308 with a lightweight 20-inch
barrel, a synthetic stock, an IER
scope, and a backup ghost ring rear
and front post sight. Overall length
should be no longer than one meter,
and the rifle should weigh no more
than 7 pounds with a scope.
Cooper, however, always stressed
that the Scout was a work in progress, so even during his lifetime there
were no two alike. And so it is today.

Distinctive Design

The newest Scout on the block is
Ruger’s Gunsite Model (SRP: $995),
which was developed in consultation
with the staff at Gunsite. The
Gunsite instructors knew Cooper’s
thoughts and got to see a great
many Scout rifles of different stripes
given workouts at their various
shooting courses.
Ruger’s version is distinctive. Rather
than a synthetic stock, the rifle is fitted with a gray-laminate wood stock.
Two considerations drove this decision. First, the staff at Gunsite insisted
that the length of pull be adjustable,
something not achievable with a synthetic stock. Second, Ruger designers
wanted a 10-shot detachable box magazine, and no one could find a synthetic stock that could accommodate
that type of magazine. Laminated
wood solved both problems.
The Gunsite Scout weighs quite a
bit more than other versions. The
Scout I’m currently shooting scales
7 pounds without a scope, and
weighs 8 pounds 12 ounces with a
scope and loaded magazine. But that
additional poundage, along with the
rifle’s excellent recoil pad, means it
has practically no kick.
The Gunsite Scout’s other departure from standard is the barrel.
Rather than use a light 20-incher,
Ruger opted for a medium-weight
16.5-inch barrel that has a detachable
flash suppressor at the muzzle. So the
Scout comes in at 38 inches overall,
right on spec, making it a very handy

52 ■ Shot Business Daily ■ day 4, January 20, 2012

little gun despite its weight.
You can mount a conventional
scope on it or use an IER scope or a
red dot on its forward-mounted
Picatinny rail. You can also use the
backup iron sights, which are rugged
and easy to adjust.
If there’s a spot where the Scout
falls down, it’s the trigger. Mine
breaks at 5 pounds and an ounce or
two and is pretty mushy. It’s not a
bad trigger, but it’s certainly not a
good trigger. If you want something
better, don’t ask your gunsmith to
screw around with it. Have him
install a replacement Timney trigger.

Shooting Prowess

Usually, I get to test one rifle before I
write about it, but in this case I’ve shot
two Gunsite Scouts at considerable
length. Scout Number One shoots
just about anything at least acceptably,
and if you feed it something it really
likes, it groups into just over an inch.
Scout Number Two is fussier. It does
not like most 150-grain .308 ammo,
though it will shoot Barnes 150-grain
XXX handloads into groups of heartwrenching beauty. It is also very fond
of 165- or 168-grain loads and will
shoot these into a minute of angle or
sometimes better.

Ideal Use

Jeff Cooper wrote that a Scout
should be ideal for just about any
kind of hunting short of large, dangerous game, and with the right bullets, there is very little the .308 can’t
handle. I think the best all-around
weight is 165 grains, and I feed mine
Scout Nosler Partitions and Federal
Tipped Trophy Bonded bullets for
hunting. A Scout makes an ideal
truck gun or a brush rifle. The
Ruger designers did their homework,
and somewhere, the shade of Jeff
Cooper is smiling. Booth #11840.
(203-259-7843; ruger.com)

The Ruger Gunsite Scout is a robust short-action
rifle chambered for .308. It features a mediumweight 16.5-inch barrel and, befitting the Scout
moniker, has a Picatinny rail for an IER sight.

news

Kimber Donations
Surpass $1 Million

A

t the 2012 SHOT Show, Kimber CEO
Leslie Edelman presented a check for
$160,000 to the USA Shooting Team,
the latest installment in a successful partnership based on sales of the Team Match II pistol. This brought Kimber’s total contribution
to $1 million, the largest donation from a firearms company in team history.
To prepare for Olympic competition, the
USA Shooting Rapid Fire Pistol Team competes against professional shooters on the
national Action Shooting circuit using competition guns from Kimber chambered in
.45 ACP and 9mm. Kimber offers the identical model—the Team Match II—to the
public and contributes $100 from each sale.

Aimpoint’s Small
Wonders

In addition to the check, Edelman presented the Team with a highly customized
Team Match II .45 ACP to commemorate
the sale of 10,000 pistols. The one-of-akind pistol bears serial number “USA10000.” The USA Shooting Team intends
to auction the pistol this spring as they prepare for the 2012 Olympic Games.
The Team Match II has a stainless-steel
frame, and an adjustable rear sight. Custom
features include 30-lines-per-inch front strap
checkering, and a match-grade barrel, chamber, and trigger group. Red, white, and blue
grips with the Team logo set the Team Match
II apart. SRP: $1,546. Booth #11763. (888243-4522; kimberamerica.com)

Kimber’s unique
Team Match II pistol,
which was made for
members of the USA
Shooting Team, features scrimshawed
ivory grips and a mirror-polished finish.

Since its introduction in 2007, the Aimpoint Micro T-1
has become the worldwide standard for compact reflex
sights for professional use. But during a 2009 productreview session involving professional end users, the
optics manufacturer determined that there was an
untapped demand for a smaller-size red-dot reticle. As
a result, Aimpoint is announcing at the 2012 SHOT
Show that two minute-of-angle (MOA) red-dots have
been added to the Micro series of sights.
“The launch of this new product
required a great deal of engineering
and testing to make it possible,” says
Ralf Wiklund, vice president and
technical manager of Aimpoint.
Both the Micro T-1 and Micro H-1
sights are experiencing high demand
from end users, who understand the
performance benefits that a highquality compact red-dot sight offers,
as well as the fact that these sights
feature a dependable design that
will not be affected by weather or
severe environmental conditions.
The Micro family of sights can be
mounted on nearly any individual weapon platform,
including pistols, carbines, and personal defense weapons. In addition, the Micro T-1 is compatible with all
generations of night-vision devices. Both the Micro T-1
and H-1 can operate for up to 5 years of constant on
use, using just one CR-2032 battery. Booth #14573.
(877-246-7646; aimpoint.com)

Our Tactical Cleaning System is the most popular tactical riﬂe cleaning system in the world. And
with good reason. Championing our Breech-to-Muzzle® philosophy, this portable, packable system
has everything you need to keep your tactical riﬂe clean and in proper working order. Stop by and
check it out along with our new 3-Gun Competition, MSR/AR and Wingshooter cleaning systems.
Quick. Simple. It’s Smart Gun Care.

Crosman Stays
Home and Creates
U.S. Jobs
The airgun manufacturer renews its
commitment to domestic production

Crosman’s decision to keep a New York State facility in
operation benefits other industries as well, and keeps
much-needed good-paying jobs in the area.

L

ike many rural communities in the postcard-pretty Finger Lakes region of New
York, Bloomfield has seen its share of key manufacturing jobs move overseas. It’s a
trend that seems to have no end. But recently one local manufacturer decided to
make a stand to save American jobs. Crosman Corporation, best known for its line of
airguns, has been manufacturing a wide variety of products for the shooting sports in
this area since 1923. It has deep roots here, and though competitive issues have forced it
to outsource some manufacturing, it also wanted to find a way to keep its operations on
American soil. To that end, Crosman made a conscious choice to strengthen its domestic manufacturing capability rather than simply marketing products made overseas.

“When faced with the choice of producing new
products elsewhere or competing to keep manufacturing here, we choose to compete,” says president and CEO Ken D’Arcy. “For years we’ve
endeavored to profitably manufacture products at
our headquarters, and it’s paid off.”
Crosman recently faced the challenge again, and
this time utilized state and county support to assist
with the purchase of new, state-of-the-art machinery. As a result of this partnership, 50 jobs at the
facility were saved. But that’s not all: The move created an additional 60 manufacturing positions.
“Our production capability has broadened, and
our product range has expanded as a result of
these jobs,” says D’Arcy. “The rewards for keeping
110 jobs on American soil extend beyond the factory and are felt throughout our community. The
Bloomfield facility remains competitive with overseas suppliers, and products that might have been
made offshore are made in the U.S.”
There’s no getting away from fierce global competition, as the workers in Bloomfield know all too
well. But now they use it to keep their competitive
instinct well honed.
“Crosman has a somewhat unique approach to
manufacturing,” D’Arcy says. “Our New York factory bids on the manufacture of each new product,
just like any other factory. If our bid is competitive, we will produce the goods here.”
Obviously, if the bid is too high, the manufacturing work goes elsewhere. But, D’Arcy says,
“Our success rate in competing with factories in
China and other parts of the world is pretty good.
More than half of all Crosman products are made

BN_039026_SBDD412.indd 1
SBDD412_056.indd 56

and assembled in our U.S. facility.”
Part of the driving force behind Crosman’s strategic decision to keep the New York plant in operation is the corporation’s responsibility to its workforce. “Our employees are well trained and motivated,” says vice president of manufacturing Dan
Schultz. “We invest a great deal in them. As a
result, they take great pride in their work. By
encouraging our staff to take ownership of the
products they make, overall quality improves.
They also put in a little extra time each day to
make sure their work is exceptional.”
The result of this culture of support is that
Crosman is able to keep qualified employees and
frequently promotes from within. “Chances are,
most of the managers you’ll find here in the factory have put in time on the floor. Many of us have
been here for decades,” Schultz says.
Local businesses and suppliers also benefit from
the global vision of Crosman. By relying on a network of local suppliers for parts not made in-house,
independent suppliers have a major customer.
“There’s a ripple effect to our practice of keeping
work here in New York. It contributes to the success of our suppliers as well as our company,” says
D’Arcy. “Crosman will continue to prove that
American innovation, hard work, and help from our
friends in government can keep domestic manufacturing viable, even in this age of severe global competition. If we are to remain a major economic
power, I believe it is vital for the U.S. to rebuild and
maintain its manufacturing infrastructure. At
Crosman, we’re working hard to do our part.”
Booth #13940. (800-724-7846; crosman.com)

12/1/11 2:26 PM
1/19/12 3:22 PM

news

shot
show
2012

Show
Scenes

Brianna Cox welcomes everyone to the 2012 SHOT Show on Thursday morning, and hands out copies of the SHOT Daily newspaper. As it does every year,
the paper covers new products and hot topics happening at the show.

SHOT Show attendees are able to access the
SHOT Show map on smartphones and tablets.

Comedian Larry the Cable Guy “gets ’er done” on Tuesday night at the NSSF
State of the Industry dinner. As the featured entertainment, Larry delivered his
famous brand of homegrown, good-ol’-boy humor to a receptive crowd.